New Evidence Suggests Warming Is Altering Hibernation Patterns, Increasing Mortality Rates

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON: New evidence has suggested that the sleeping patterns of hibernating animals have been altered due to rising temperatures from global warming, which could bring them to the brink of extinction. These abbreviated hibernations are part of a growing body of evidence suggesting that hibernating animals are waking up earlier—or not going to sleep at all.

According to a report in National Geographic News , this new finding was done by researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Crested Butte, Colorado, who took the case of the change observed in the marmot's hibernation patterns. When these animals were studied in the 1970s, it was seen that rarely awoke before the third week of May. But these days, according to the scientists, marmots regularly end their winter naps a month beforehand—by the third week of April.

Average low temperatures in April in Gothic, Colorado, the site of the marmot study, have climbed 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 degrees Celsius) since 1976, the first year researchers began recording marmot hibernation stats. "With respect to the marmots, at least, the evidence is convincing that it is connected to warming temperatures," said David Inouye, a biology professor at the University of Maryland who collaborated with the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab researchers.

Overall, from chipmunks and squirrels in the Rocky Mountains to brown bears in Spain, these altered slumber patterns are putting animals at risk both of starvation and increased predation, researchers say—which could bring many species to the brink of extinction.

EDIT

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/Global_warming_changing_hibernation/articleshow/2753978.cms

[zbdent]

1. I had a thought along these lines not long ago ... if global climate change allows

the areas traditionally hit by Winter snows are given milder winters or even nearly nonexisent, then what excuse would the "gun freaks" have to hunt deer? One of their biggest claims is that they're being much more humane by keeping the (trophy?) deer from starving to death during the winter ...

[AlecBGreen]

2. a warmer climate

means milder winters, which means more deer. That would necessitate more hunting to keep the population in check. Thats not a bad thing.

[malakai2]

3. Or growing a larger, more diverse population of predators

Either way, deer will die.

[AlecBGreen]

4. its certainly possible

though deer have few natural predators round these parts. Humans, feral dogs, & coyotes. Cougars too, but those have been all but wiped out here in the Appalachians.

So the situation is this: warmer winters = more deer. More deer = more predators. Will the increase in predators lead to an overall decrease in the whitetail population? Not likely. People will put up with deer but they dont abide coyotes running through their back yards. IMO, deer pop will grow even in the face of increased predation and hunting.

Continued fragmentation of forests by sprawl will increase their access to food and further swell the population. Counterintuitively, deer thrive not in the deep woods but at the edges of the forest. More suburbs = more deer.

[Subdivisions]

5. Oh...no. n/t