News Feature
Published: 20 March 2014

Animal studies reveal tangible effects of climate change

Kara Rosania

Lab Animal volume 43, pages 113–114 (2014)Cite this article

223 Accesses
1 Citations
Metrics details

Scientists agree that climate change is upon us. But other than the unusual weather patterns that have arisen, it can be difficult to see the tangible effects of global warming on our daily lives. This is not the case for many species throughout the world that have been forced to adapt to drastic alterations to their environments in order to survive. In this way, animals have served as proverbial canaries in the coalmine, drawing attention to the ways in which global warming may cause changes to not only weather patterns but also entire ecosystems.

Thousands of studies have been conducted to examine the responses of North American mammals to human-caused climate change. A team of researchers at University of Colorado, Boulder, compiled the results from 140 of these to analyze the population responses of 73 different North American mammal species¹. The team counted the instances of seven different possible responses to climate change: local extinctions of species, range contractions, range shifts, changes in abundance, seasonal responses, body size and genetic diversity. Body size was by far the best predictor for response to climate change, with almost all of the largest mammals responding negatively to their changing environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

References

McCain, C.M. & King, S.R.B. Body size and activity times mediate mammalian responses to climate change. Glob. Change Biol. doi:10.1111/gcb.12499 (published online 22 January 2014).
Robbins, J. Moose die-off alarms scientists. NY Times published online 14 October 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-the-moose.html?ref=science&_r=1&
Murray, D.L. et al. Pathogens, nutritional deficiency, and climate influences on a declining moose population. Wildlife Monogr. 166, 1–30 (2006).
Article Google Scholar
McNay, R.S., Sutherland, G.D., McCann, R.K. & Brumovsky, V. Re-evaluation of trends in moose populations in the caribou region 1985–2012. Report No. 449. (Wildlife Infometrics Inc., Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada, 2013). http://www.acee-ceaa.gc.ca/050/documents/p63928/93500E.pdf
Kerby, J.T. & Post, E. Advancing plant phenology and reduced herbivore production in a terrestrial system associated with sea ice decline. Nat. Commun. 4, 2514 (2013).
Article Google Scholar
McKinney, M.A. et al. Global change effects on the long-term feeding ecology and contaminant exposures of East Greenland polar bears. Glob. Change Biol. 19, 2360–2372 (2013).
Article Google Scholar
Dietz, R. et al. Three decades (1983–2010) of contaminant trends in East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Part 1: Legacy organochlorine contaminants. Environ. Intl. 59, 485–493 (2013).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Dietz, R. et al. Three decades (1983–2010) of contaminant trends in East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Part 2: Brominated flame retardants. Environ. Intl. 59, 494–500 (2013).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Meyer, J., Novak, M., Hamel, A. & Rosenberg, K. Extraction and analysis of cortisol from human and monkey hair. J. Vis. Exp. 83, e50882 (2014).
Google Scholar
Varner, J. & Dearing, M.D. Dietary plasticity in pikas as a strategy for atypical resource landscapes. J. Mammal. 95, 72–81 (2014).
Article Google Scholar
Rödder, D. et al. Evaluating the significance of paleophylogeographic species distribution models in reconstructing quaternary range-shifts of nearctic chelonians. PLoS One doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072855 (published online 9 October 2013).
Pinsky, M.L., Worm, B., Fogarty, M.J., Sarmiento, J.L. & Levin, S.A. Marine taxa track local climate velocities. Science 341, 1239–1242 (2013).
Article CAS Google Scholar
Johansen, J.L., Messmer, V., Coker, D.J., Hoey, A.S. & Pratchett, M.S. Increasing ocean temperatures reduce activity patterns of a large commercially important coral reef fish. Glob. Change Biol. doi:10.1111/gcb.12452 (published online 26 November 2013).
Paprocki, N., Heath, J.A. & Novak, S.J. Regional distribution shifts help explain local changes in wintering raptor abundance: implications for interpreting population trends. PLoS One doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086814 (published online 22 January 2014).
Anctil, A., Franke, A. & Bêty, J. Heavy rainfall increases nestling mortality of an arctic top predator: experimental evidence and long-term trend in peregrine falcons. Oecologia 174, 1033–1043 (2014).
Article Google Scholar
Boersma, P.D. & Rebstock, G.A. Climate change increases reproductive failure in Magellanic penguins. PLoS One 9, e85602 (2014).
Article Google Scholar
Burrows, M.T. et al. Geographical limits to species-range shifts are suggested by climate velocity. Nature doi:10.1038/nature129762014 (published online 9 February 2014).