El pasado geológico alerta sobre un futuro angustiante para la biodiversidad, según la Universidad de Oxford

A study led by the University of Oxford reveals that the size of a species’ geographic range and the magnitude of climate change are the strongest predictors of extinction risk in marine species. By analyzing fossil records spanning the last 485 million years, researchers found that species with limited distributions and restricted thermal tolerances are particularly vulnerable, especially those in polar or tropical regions. This historical evidence serves as a serious warning about the current fragility of biodiversity in the face of anthropogenic global warming. The research highlights that the impact of these traits is cumulative: the more vulnerability characteristics a species possesses, the greater its susceptibility to disappearance. Although body size plays a role, exposure to extreme thermal changes and lack of geographic range define species’ resilience. These findings enable more precise identification of which biological groups are most at risk today, providing a scientific basis for prioritizing conservation and adaptation strategies in the face of the impending climate crisis. This article is relevant to open data because it demonstrates the transformative power of large, open datasets in science. The integration of hundreds of thousands of fossil records with climate simulations shows how the availability and shared analysis of historical information can generate crucial predictive models. By grounding conservation decisions in accessible empirical data, scientific transparency is promoted and society’s capacity to respond to global challenges through evidence is strengthened.

Source: infobae.com
Published on 2024-03-24

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