Ricerc@Sapienza

Although it is widely accepted that future climatic change ¿ if unabated¿is likely to have major impacts on biodiversity, few studies have attempted to quantify the number of species whose populations have already been impacted by climate change. Using a systematic review of published literature, I will identify mammals for which there is evidence that they have already been impacted by climate change. I will model the relationships between observed responses and intrinsic (for example, body mass) and spatial traits (for example, temperature seasonality within the geographic range). Using this model, I will estimate the proportion of terrestrial non-volant mammals that may have already been negatively impacted by climate change in at least part of their
distribution. These results will be helpful to highlight populations of threatened species that are likely already impacted by climate change, and areas and species that conservation managers, conservation planners and policy makers must take this into account in their efforts to safeguard the future of biodiversity.