Climate change could pose a dual threat to native species by reducing their suitable habitats and increasing predation pressure from non-native species, a new study(Link is external) by Oregon State University researchers finds.
Climate change could pose a dual threat to native species by reducing their suitable habitats and increasing predation pressure from non-native species, a new study(Link is external) by Oregon State University researchers finds.
The effects of climate change and biological invasions on the geographical distribution of native species have been studied separately, but their combined effects remain overlooked, said Ivan Arismendi, an associate professor in Oregon State’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences.
The new study, published in Global Change Biology, begins to change that. The researchers found that future climate conditions will reduce habitat suitability for native and non-native species, but an increase in habitat overlap might exacerbate the negative effects of non-native species, potentially leading to local extinctions of native species.
Read More: Oregon State University
Bull trout swimming underwater (Photo Credit: Oregon State University)
