Data on the response of organisms to recent climate warming comes not just from computer models or predictions for the future, but also on reported changes that are actually occurring in the biosphere. Among them are shifts in the range of species and changes in the behavior of organisms in a wide range of habitats, including tropical coral reefs, Mediterranean regions, coastal areas, temperate grasslands and woodlands, and alpine and arctic areas on five continents. The 21 studies by biologists and related scientists, are from a February 2001 conference at Ascona, Switzerland. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
In recent years an increasing number of studies have been published reporting observations of adapted behaviour and shifting species ranges of plant and animal species due to recent climate warming. Are these `fingerprints' of climate change? An international conference was organised to bring together scientists from different continents with different expertise but sharing the same issue of climate change impact studies. Ecologists, zoologists, and botanists exchanged and discussed the findings from their individual field of research. The present book is an international collection of biological signs of recent climate warming, neither based only on computer models nor on prediction for the future, but mainly on actually occurring changes in the biosphere such as adapted behaviour or shifts in the ranges of species. `Fingerprints' of Climate Change presents ecological evidence that organisms are responding to recent global warming. The observed changes may foreshadow the types of impacts likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming.
