New research from the American Museum of Natural History provides the first detailed study showing that global warming forces species to move up tropical mountains as their habitats shift upward. Christopher Raxworthy, Associate Curator in the Department of Herpetology, predicts that at least three species of amphibians and reptiles found in Madagascar's mountainous north could go extinct between 2050 and 2100 because of habitat loss associated with rising global temperatures. These species, currently moving upslope to compensate for habitat loss at lower and warmer altitudes, will eventually have no place to move to.
"Two things togetherhighly localized distribution close to the very highest summits, and the magnitude of these upslope shifts in response to ongoing warmingmake a poisonous cocktail for extinction," said Raxworthy. In a paper published this month in Global Change Biology, Raxworthy and colleagues found overall trends for elevation changes among 30 species of amphibians and reptiles. Uphill movement is a predicted response to increased temperatures, and other studies, including that of J. Alan Pounds in Costa Rica, have provided some empirical evidence of how tropical animals respond to climate change. Raxworthy's research, however, is distinguished by the number and diversity of species, the demonstrated meteorological changes over the same time period, the relatively large shifts in elevation, and the broader assessment of extinction vulnerability for tropical montane communities. Currently, there is also a dearth of information available concerning climate impacts on biodiversity for tropical regions.
Raxworthy has been surveying the diversity of Madagascar's herpetological assemblage since 1985 and discovered the uphill migration almost by chance while in the field. On repeated surveys of northern Madagascar's mountains, the Tsaratanana Massif, he noticed that some species were missing from camps where they'd been pre
'/>"/>
| Contact: Kristin Phillips kphillips@amnh.org 212-496-3419 American Museum of Natural History Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Climate change goes underground
2. Opportunity for students displaced by Katrina to assess climate vulnerability of Southeast US
3. Climate -- no smoking gun for Neanderthals
4. NASA celebrates a decade observing climate impacts on health of worlds oceans
5. NASA celebrates a decade observing climate impacts on health of worlds oceans
6. University and state agencies to forecast local health effects of climate change
7. A greenhouse in order to study the impact of climate change on plants
8. European lead in reading past climates from ice cores
9. International team of scientists warns of climate changes impact on global river flow
10. Heaps of climate gas
11. Nobel Peace Prize 2007 to intergovernmental panel on climate change
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |