Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity: Species Responses, Vulnerability, and Adaptive Capacity, A Comprehensive Review

Climate change influences the distribution, phenology, physiology and persistence of species in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.This review compiles findings from the world's most significant meta-analyses, biophysical models, phylogenetically-informed vulnerability analyses, genomic studies, and approaches to adaptive responses, to summarize the evidence for the response of biodiversity to anthropogenic warming in an integrated way.Across taxa species have advanced phenological events by 2-4 days per decade, and there is consistent evidence of lagging responses in their rates of poleward shift relative to climate change Some phenological responses are apparently adaptive however, directed selection will have taken place if the direction of least resistance is in a particular forest sector, and theoretical models predict that numerous phenological populations studied will be at non-negligible extinction risk.The dominant thermoregulatory problem for most terrestrial ectotherms is keeping cool instead of warming up, while the time available for activity will be critically reduced, metabolic costs will be increased and foraging efficiency diminished, especially as a result of changes in climate warms, particularly in the tropics and arid areas.Amphibian vulnerability assessments indicate a 'tipping point' in the risk of overheating would occur at around 4°C of warming.Mean extinction probability estimates of 10-14% predicted by convergence of models with observed response are supported.There are few but increasing signs of rapid adaptive evolution in some taxa from recent genomic studies, but the rate of genetic adaptation is not known for most species.In this review the importance and the urgency of keeping the global warming below 2°C and of preserving the microhabitat heterogeneity of available thermal refuges, in managing anthropogenic stressors in a synergistic manner, as well as in maintaining ecosystem services and functional diversity with the aim of protecting biodiversity in the face of a rapidly changing climate is outlined.