New Study Claims Global Warming Extinctions Have Begun
University of Texas biologist Camille Parmesan has summed up some 866 scientific studies in the December, 2006 issue of the journal Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. You can read the abstract online for free, but to read the full study, you must be a subscriber.
Scientists are surprised at how quickly species are being forced to change to adapt to alterations in their environments, an article on CNN.com noted. I find it interesting to note that CNN.com, FoxNews.com and MSNBC.com all feature pictures of polar bears in their stories. People love polar bears.
Speaking of extinctions - here's an interesting article I found on MSNBC.com today about some new research on what happened in the oceans following a mass extinction 250 million years ago. It's not related to global warming, of course, but I include it to remind people that the Earth's biosphere is not a static thing. Changes, sometimes large, sudden, dramatic changes have occurred in the past and will occur again.
Oh, and another link from MSNBC.com while I'm at it. Seems California bird watchers had an extremely rare - as in "never before" rare - treat recently when a gull native to the Arctic was seen 100 miles east of San Diego. This was the first time this species has ever been seen in California, and to see it within 50 miles of the Mexican border is really amazing. I'm sure that's a sign that the new ice age is right around the corner, right?
Comments (4)
Laura,
Thanks for posting regularly. Could mountain frog extinctions be the result of acidity? I believe the American Toad is extinct in Marblehead, MA. I've done exhaustive searches. It seems the toad dwindled beginning in the 1980s. The toad does not use the deeper ponds in which to reproduce.
Thanks
Tom
Posted by Tom Adams | November 25, 2006 11:32 AM
That kind of toad extinction is most likely not from Global Warming, more likely Human Development. Nodody seems to like shallow lakes, they're "boring" or "invaluable" or something. Marshes and wetlands all over the country have been disappearing for ages. Ask your state government to make a wetland national park?
Posted by Sean | November 27, 2006 9:24 AM
Well, the abstract is pure poppycock. "These observed changes are heavily biased in the directions predicted from global warming and have been linked to local or regional climate change through correlations between climate and biological variation, field and laboratory experiments, and physiological research." Pure baloney.
I especially like this canard: "Observed genetic shifts modulate local effects of climate change, but there is little evidence that they will mitigate negative effects at the species level." I suppose that there are no positive aspects of climate change for any species of any kind, right? What nonsense.
Doesn't te mass extinction theory mentioned above prove that what is bad for one animal may be very godd for another (simple vs complex systems)? Of course, I thought that article was a lot of speculation also, but still interesting.
Posted by woodNfish | November 27, 2006 10:15 AM
I have mostly been observing the habits of birds in South Carolina and some interesting ways they have been adapting and "evolving." Canadian geese are common residents year round in many ponds and lakes, as are many duck populations. Blue birds have also been observed as year round residents. Robins seem to adapt readily as well. I have not watched other animal species, but know that many adapt quite well to climate changes and many do not. I still know that extinctions are occurring at alarming rates simply because we cannot stop the decimation of our own national forests, let alone the Amazon Rain Forest and other areas of the world with unique climate and geography. However, there have been mass extinctions before, with interesting results. The future is always full of excitement and challenge and change. I just hope human beings are ready!
Posted by carlnaud | November 28, 2006 10:46 PM