As temperatures continue to rise across the globe, scientists are witnessing the emergence of ecological conditions with no historical precedent also known as ecological novelty driven by rapid change.
In a recent study in Nature Climate Change, lead author and University of Victoria (UVic) School of Environmental Studies PhD student Claire Wright examines how climate change is driving the emergence of ecological conditions with no precedent.
Widespread ecosystem disruption
Wright and co-authors in Germany, Denmark, Portugal and The Netherlands found growing evidence of "ecological novelty," or ecological conditions that have never been seen before, driven by climate change. They highlight the widespread disruptions taking place across individual species, populations, communities, ecosystems and landscapes.
I was amazed by how pervasive ecological novelty seems to be across the globe, we found that climate change effects are driving major shifts across the natural world, from the level of microorganisms up to shifts in how entire ecosystems function."
Claire Wright, UVic School of Environmental Studies PhD student
The study reviewed more than 200 examples from around the world showing how climate change is creating new conditions for plants, animals and ecosystems. Efforts to respond to climate change can also create new environmental conditions. For example, large solar energy projects have become unique landscapes with both natural and artificial elements, which can change plant species and natural processes like water runoff.
Inspired by Mountain Legacy Project
Part of the inspiration for the article came from Wright's work with UVic's Mountain Legacy Project. A series of images of Jasper National Park in Alberta going back to 1915 is included in the article to highlight novelty in the Canadian Rockies. The images show the transition from an open, savanna-like ecosystem to a dense lodgepole pine-dominated forest. The forest was decimated by mountain pine beetle starting in the early 2000s and then burned in a high-intensity wildfire in 2024.
"Survey images from the Mountain Legacy Project provide insights into historical conditions and act as a reference for what Canada's mountain landscapes looked like 100 years ago or more," says co-author and UVic researcher Eric Higgs. "The images precede the Industrial Revolution and the rapid rise of global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels."
Responding to a new future
"Ecosystems will continue to change for decades and even centuries," says Wright. "Long-term monitoring and ongoing research are essential to understanding how species and ecosystems will respond to these new conditions."
By recognizing these changes, we can better understand how human actions affect plants, animals and ecosystems and how nature responds. This can support broader conversations about what the future may look like and how researchers and policy makers should respond.
