Rising Temperatures May, Or May Not, Affect Biodiversity

The effects of temperature changes may be a big deal, overstated, or mitigated by evolution, say stubbornly scientific scientists

A volley of studies into the likely effects of climate change on various animal species—and thus on biodiversity worldwide—have come out in the last few days. The headliner, examining butterflies in Massachusetts, seems to indicate that rising temperatures are having powerful ecological effects: but another pair of studies showed that other factors may be more powerful than warming, and yet another appears to indicate that dangers are being overblown.