Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity: A review of the recent scientific literature

The IPCC 4 Assessment Report (AR4) concluded that climate change will have significant impacts on many aspects of biological diversity. These impacts will include effects on ecosystems, on their component species and genetic diversity within species, and on ecological interactions. The implications of these impacts are significant for the long-term stability of the natural world and for the many benefits and services that humans derive from it. Because of the importance of these impacts and of climate change itself, there has been a great deal of recent research, which has added to the evidence base.