from under it.

[keannu]

1. Which does this "adjust" mean? "make change to regulate" or "get accustomed to"?
2. What does this "from under it" mean?

h21)...Earth's habitable climatic zones will start moving too, generally away from the Equator and toward the poles. That means many species of plants and animals will also have to move in order to survive. Whether or not they do will depend on how fast a species can adjust its habitat range, and how quickly that range moves out from under it.

 

[MartinEnglish]

Have you copied it correctly? The last sentence sounds all wrong to me, as if there might be missing prepositions or something. I think I can guess what the writer is generally trying to say (that species' survival will depend on how quickly they can adapt to new habitats) but it doesn't really make any sense to me. Is the writer a native speaker?

 

[SoothingDave]

1. Adjust means change. Species will need to make changes in their habitat ranges as the climate changes.

2. They mean how quickly the environment changes while the animal stays put.

 

[keannu]

1. Yes, as you said, to make the meaning of "adapt to", "adjust" needs "to" and "adjust something" is just making change like "adjusting the height of a chair by its lever", so it sounds wrong. I think this was written either by a non-native speaker or rewritten wrong.
2. "that range moves out from under it" doesn't seem to make sense, either. "it" might mean the original environment, but I can't get it.

Whether or not they do will depend on how fast a species can adjust to its habitat range, and how quickly that range moves out from under it.

 

[SoothingDave]

1. The species is not adjusting to its range, it is adjusting its range. Like you adjust a thermostat. Maybe it is roaming farther north as temperatures increase.

2. "Out from under" can mean that changes happens while you are standing still. That is the meaning here. Without the animal doing anything, the range is changed by events.

 

[keannu]

Thanks a lot!!! what do you mean by it in "moves out from under it. "?