Climate change may shift species abundance towards cooler habitats, study finds.
Understanding how species abundance changes across temperature ranges can help predict how they will respond to climate change. By analyzing data from UK rocky shores, researchers found that invertebrate species tend to be more abundant in cooler temperatures, while algal species show a different pattern. Overall, there is mixed support for the idea that species reach peak abundance at the center of their temperature range, but looking at all species together can help predict their responses more accurately.