Changes in Latitude - Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife. J. T. Price, American Bird Conservancy; and T. L. Root, University of Michigan
Animals can be effective barometers of their environment. Their overall mobility and physiological constraints that temperature and moisture impose on many of them make them effective indicators of climatic changes. Indeed, many different taxa in various parts of the world are already exhibiting recognizable changes, such as poleward and elevational range shifts, and changes in the timing of events like breeding. Many factors (e.g., habitat conversion, and climate change) put pressure on animals. Nevertheless, the balance of evidence suggests that, for those animals exhibiting significant large-scale patterns of changes, the most consistent explanation is recent climatic change (high confidence level). Like the proverbial "canaries in the coal mine," wildlife seem to be providing an important early indicator of how ecosystems might respond to the discernible human impact on climate that is contributing to its change. We will present an overview of the changes that have been observed so far as well as discuss some of the ecological risks presented by these changes.
This work has been funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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