New Delhi: Climate change is a threat to the existence of this planet, and its impacts are being felt now more than ever. While it impacts the lives of humans, the effect of climate change is more acutely felt by the animals who are losing their habitats due to this phenomenon. Well, if you cannot fathom how hard climate change can hit the animals, read on to find out about the discoveries of a recent study.
Mammals and climate change: North Carolina State University’s study
Recently, the North Carolina State University conducted a study which showed climate change is massively influencing mammals in choosing their habitat. The study, which has been published in the Diversity and Distributions with the title ‘Climate, food and Humans Predict Communities of Mammals in the United States’, found that climate change impacts wildlife. Roland Kays, a research professor at NC State and a scientist at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences who is also the study’s lead author, said that it was done to understand the relation between climate and humans and how mammals are being impacted.
According to Kays, the study was done to find out how humans have changed the landscape and become the primary determinants of which animals would live where. However, the study found out that climate change, which has altered weather patterns in several places on the planet, is the most important factor in determining the habitat of mammals.
The study also revealed how places with large populations and agriculture strongly influence the choice of habitat for the animals. While some animals like the Eastern Gray Squirrel do well around humans, other animals like the Eastern fox squirrel fail to do well around people.
How was the research done?
During the study, researchers gathered data accorss the United States on 25 different species from 6,645 locations and it was done with the help of the largest camera that trapped the data from Snapshot USA. Thanks to this study, researchers were able to create detailed maps that predict the distribution of various mammal species across the US.
They delineated different areas of the country into distinct ‘ecoregions’ by analyzing habitat preferences and environmental factors which show the diversity of ecosystems and helps to understand how geographical and climatic variations affect mammal populations. Reportedly, ‘ecoregions’ have been used for the first time for mammal populations. Places with high rainfall have abundant plants, which has led to a greater population of mammals since more plants mean more food. The study not only sheds light on the impact of climate change on wildlife populations but also stresses the need for conservation efforts to consider the climatic preferences of different species.
Recently, the North Carolina State University conducted a study which showed climate change is massively influencing the mammals in choosing their habitat. It also revealed how places with large population and agriculture strongly influence the choice of habitat of the animals. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
