Nature’s Ability to Adapt to Human Activities Seems to be Slowing Down

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London analyzed a global database of ecosystem studies and found that species turnover in natural environments has declined by one-third since the mid-1970s. The analysis examined data from more than half a million locations over 150 years, measuring species comings and goings over five-year periods across habitats ranging from North American birds to ocean floor fish. This slowdown contradicts long-held scientific predictions that climate change would accelerate species replacement as ecosystems adapt to environmental pressures. Most ecologists now view regular species turnover as a sign of healthy ecosystem function, meaning the decline suggests nature's ability to self-repair through species replacement is failing. The researchers attribute the slowdown primarily to landscape fragmentation, which prevents new species from migrating in to replace those that disappear locally.