The Greenhouse Effect and Nature Reserves

Global warming would diminish biological diversity by causing extinctions among reserve species. Patterns of climatic change are discussed, including global patterns of surface temperature increase, as predicted by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and global changes in moisture patterns. The concept of biological reserves (essentially the same concept as biological refugia) is discussed, and the effect of climatic changes on reserves is discussed. The types of biological communities particularly at risk due to climatic changes are identified. 67 references, 3 figures.