Data from: Patterns and biases in climate change research on amphibians and reptiles: a systematic review

Climate change probably has severe impacts on animal populations, but
demonstrating a causal link can be difficult because of potential
influences by additional factors. Assessing global impacts of climate
change effects may also be hampered by narrow taxonomic and geographical
research foci. We review studies on the effects of climate change on
populations of amphibians and reptiles to assess climate change effects
and potential biases associated with the body of work that has been
conducted within the last decade. We use data from 104 studies regarding
the effect of climate on 313 species, from 464 species–study combinations.
Climate change effects were reported in 65% of studies. Climate change was
identified as causing population declines or range restrictions in half of
the cases. The probability of identifying an effect of climate change
varied among regions, taxa and research methods. Climatic effects were
equally prevalent in studies exclusively investigating climate factors
(more than 50% of studies) and in studies including additional factors,
thus bolstering confidence in the results of studies exclusively examining
effects of climate change. Our analyses reveal biases with respect to
geography, taxonomy and research question, making global conclusions
impossible. Additional research should focus on under-represented regions,
taxa and questions. Conservation and climate policy should consider the
documented harm climate change causes reptiles and amphibians.