InfoSci Professor Provides Insight for NPR on How Climate Change Could Reshape Biodiversity

A recent NPR article explores the significant impact of climate change on global biodiversity, revealing that the severity of species extinction will hinge on how much the planet warms in the coming decades. Among the leading voices in the discussion is Cristian Román-Palacios, an assistant professor in the College of Information Science at the University of Arizona, whose research focuses on phylogenetics, biostatistics and machine learning.

Román-Palacios points to the stark realities of temperature thresholds, responding to the suggestion that if global warming increases by four or five degrees Celsius, as many as 30% of species could be at risk. “That 30% might be the best case scenario of the worst case scenario,” he says in the article, noting also “confounding complexities in how species might respond to such climate extremes that scientists don’t yet know.”

“More critters may simply not be able to cope, or ecosystems that lose species after species may collapse altogether,” the article states in referencing Román-Palacios. “Additionally, many rare species are understudied, or not even discovered, and might be especially vulnerable in ways that don't show up in this analysis.”

The NPR piece illustrates how biodiversity loss is not a distant threat but one that is already unfolding. From coral reefs bleaching under rising ocean temperatures to shifts in habitats forcing species to migrate or face extinction, the evidence is mounting. The article also highlights how biodiversity loss affects human life, including food security, ecosystem services like pollination and cultural and economic connections to nature.

Read or listen to the full article on NPR: “How many species could go extinct from climate change? It depends on how hot it gets.”

Román-Palacios, who joined the College of Information Science in 2021 and founded the U of A Data Diversity Lab in 2023, primarily studies large-scale biodiversity patterns from an ecological and evolutionary perspective, examining the effects of climate change on species survival. He also develops statistical tools that are performing paleoclimatic reconstructions. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, he served as a researcher at UCLA’s Tripati Lab. Román-Palacios holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
 

Learn more about Cristian Román-Palacios, or explore how you can support the faculty and research of the College of Information Science.