Ecologists have no doubt that climate change will affect the earth's animals and plants. But how exactly? This is often hard to predict. There are already indications that some species are shifting their distribution range. But it is much less clear how individual animals and populations are responding to the changes. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany have been studying nocturnal desert geckos to see how they are adapting to climatic changes. The researchers published their encouraging findings in the specialist journal Ecological Monographs. The rise in temperature itself won't cause the creatures any real problems in the near future. And they will be able to compensate for the negative consequences of increasing dryness, to some extent. And this might also be true for other desert reptiles.
