Human societies and a multitude of species are going to be tested by climate change in ways that are barely understood, a wide-ranging study involving researchers from 44 institutions around the world has found.

Species in every ecosystem are being affected by rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, with marine animals moving poleward at the average pace of 72 kilometres and land-based ones 17 kilometres a decade, according to the paper published on Friday in the journal Science.

Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases are spreading as temperatures warm. Credit:AP

"Movement of mosquitoes in response to global warming is a threat to health in many countries through predicted increases in the number of known, and potentially new, diseases," the paper found, noting malaria is already a risk for about half of humanity, with more than 200 million cases recorded in 2014 alone.

Food security is also at risk from the spread of plant pathogens and other pests.