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Climate change affects animal species in many ways. It induces habitat loss, disrupts migration and breeding patterns, threatens marine life, and facilitates an increased spread of disease. It may also affect where animals can be found in the future.

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Toronto Mississauga and Apex Resource Management Solutions in Canada, climate change may dramatically affect the animal species observed in North American cities by the end of the century.

The researchers used species distribution data combined with machine learning to study the impact of human-caused climate change on more than 2,000 animal species historically found in the 60 most populous North American cities.

According to the research team, changes in biodiversity are brewing for almost every city it studied by the year 2100. In fact, cities with a rich history of biodiversity are predicted to have the largest declines and fewest gains in species. Cooler and wetter cities like Quebec, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Kansas City, and Omaha are expected to welcome the most new species. Warmer cities with higher precipitation – like cities in coastal California – are projected to lose the most species.

More than 95% of bird and insect species are predicted to experience a change in the number of cities they call home. Canines, most amphibians, and aquatic birds are expected to experience the greatest losses. Toads, turtles, mice and pelicans are projected to become more common overall.

The researchers hope their findings will encourage more efforts to protect biodiversity.

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North American cities may see a major species turnover by the end of the century

Photo, posted September 29, 2013, courtesy of Jonathan Kriz via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Measuring only three to five millimeters in size, tiny ticks are a big problem. They are widely distributed in many parts of the world, especially in warm and humid climates. Ticks are arachnids – not insects – meaning they’re more closely related to spiders than to flies or mosquitos. They are external parasites that feast on the blood of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals – including humans.

In the United States, ticks are responsible for spreading potentially life-threatening infectious diseases. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ticks infect more than 300,000 people with Lyme disease in the U.S. every year, and the numbers continue to rise. Other common tick-borne diseases include anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and powassan encephalitis.

Ticks are becoming a problem in Canada as well. According to a new study by researchers from McGill University and the University of Ottawa, tick-borne pathogens are on the rise in Central Canada – a region where ticks were never previously detected.

In the study, the researchers collected ticks across Ontario and Quebec. They found that five emerging pathogens were present across their study sites, including the pathogens that cause Lyme disease and babesiosis. The researchers also found that pathogens can transmit in different ways. Typically, pathogens are transmitted to a tick after feeding from the blood of an infected host, like a small mammal. But the research team found evidence of pathogens that could be directly transmitted from adult female ticks to larval ticks.

According to the researchers, more comprehensive testing and tracking is needed to detect the spread and risks of tick-borne pathogens to humans and wildlife in Canada.

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Tick-borne pathogens increasingly widespread in Central Canada

Photo, posted May 4, 2009, courtesy of Jerry Kirkhart via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Major species turnover forecasted for North American cities

Climate change affects animal species in many ways. It induces habitat loss, disrupts migration and breeding patterns, threatens marine life, and facilitates an increased spread of disease. It may also affect where animals can be found in the future.

Web Links

Tick-Borne Pathogens In Canada | Earth Wise

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