Climate change may reduce crop and animal size

Scientists have warned that some animals and plants may shrink in size because of climate change over the next century, threatening food security and human livelihoods. Climate change will lead to higher temperatures and a decrease in rainfall, which, along with the increase in carbon dioxide levels will reduce the growth of a range of crops and protein sources, such as fish, that are crucial for human nutrition, say researchers in an article in Nature Climate Change. Previous studies have found that global warming is causing earlier migration, breeding and flowering among species but little was known about how the changing climate might affect their size. "The authors cite studies showing that some plant and several fish species are becoming smaller —fish shrink by up to a fifth for every degree Celsius increase. Full link to article available here.