SienceDaily informs that according to the findings published by researchers at the University of Southampton, in the future, small, fast-lived, highly-fertile, insect-eating animals, which can thrive in a wide-variety of habitats, will predominate. And less adaptable, slow-lived species, more vulnerable to ecological change, will most probably become victims of extinction.
The researchers predict that the average body mass of mammals specifically will reduce by 25 per cent over the next century.
Lead author on this work and a postgraduate researcher at the University of Southampton Rob Cooke says by far the most dreadful danger for birds and mammals is humankind. Deforestation, hunting, intensive farming, urbanization and the effects of global warming will result in such change. He adds that the \’downsizing\’ of species will be accompanied with some negative impacts on sustainability of ecology and evolution.