延迟的现象学和与气候变化相关的健康状况下降在野生冬眠器中
Jeffrey E Lane1, Loeske E B Kruuk, Anne Charmantier
1Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK. u.columbianus@hotmail.com
Nature
|August 11, 2012
概括
气候变化推迟了哥伦比亚地松鼠冬眠的出现. 这种延迟的出现,由后来的融雪驱动,对他们的健康和人口增长产生了负面影响.
科学领域:
- 生态生态学 生态生态学
- 气候变化生物学 气候变化生物学
- 哺乳动物学 哺乳动物学
背景情况:
- 气候变化的生态影响往往表现为现象学转变,温暖的春天推动生物事件.
- 鸟类的现象学研究得很好,但哺乳动物的季节性适应,如冬眠,仍然不太了解.
- 哺乳动物的冬眠是一种关键的适应,可能容易受到气候引起的环境变化的影响.
研究的目的:
- 研究气候变化对野生哥伦比亚地松鼠群体冬眠现象学的影响.
- 为了确定冬眠出现时间,气候条件和个人健康之间的关系.
- 评估现象学转变对人口生存能力的长期影响.
主要方法:
- 在加拿大阿尔伯塔省长期监测野生哥伦比亚地松鼠种群,持续20年.
- 对成年雌性冬眠出现日期的分析与当地气候变量相关,包括春季温度和融雪时间.
- 出现时间与个人健康和人口增长率的相关性.
主要成果:
- 在雌性哥伦比亚地松鼠中观察到延迟冬眠出现的显著趋势 (0.47天/年).
- 延迟出现的是塑料,发生在春季温度较低,雪融较晚的年份,受季末暴风雪增加的影响.
- 较晚出现的年份与个人健康状况下降和人口增长率在20年内下降有关.
结论:
- 对气候变化的现象反应可能是由温度上升以外的其他因素驱动的,例如雪融动态的改变.
- 冬眠时间的塑料反应可能对个体健康和人口生存能力产生重大负面影响.
- 哺乳动物的冬眠是气候变化影响的敏感指标,突出显示需要在鸟类系统之外进行更广泛的研究.
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