Climate Change Collective Post 4: Travel With Climate Change

Smelly Socks and Garden Peas

Nov 29

The wonderful Caroline from Enviroline has shared the third post in the series being run by the Climate Change Collective.

Phenology is the timings of animal and plant yearly cycles. As the climate changes, these timings change too. For example, birds are starting to breed earlier because the peak insect abundance is happening sooner. This puts added pressure on birds to mate earlier than normal.

Animals rely on environmental cues, specifically for timing and migration navigation. Some animals are staying in one place instead of migrating because the temperature is warmer all year round. Migrating has lots of benefits, the main one is that they are less at risk of catching infections and diseases. Since they don't stay in one place for too long, they are less likely to be contaminated. For example, there has been a reduction in the amount of Monarch butterflies migrating. Studies have shown that there are more butterflies with an infection that don't migrate than ones that do.

Plants are flowering sooner as the temperature is warmer, has anyone else noticed flowers blossoming now? I've seen some and it's quite worrying considering we are going into winter!

Read on here to see what Caroline has to say.... How climate change impacts animals.

I think we're all aware of the impact that the changing climate is likely to have, or is already having, on sea levels, temperatures, our own places to live and farm. But, maybe we're less conscious or we place less value on the consequences of global warming on the animals that we share this planet with.

There are loads of effects on our livelihoods, food sources and luxuries that come from the loss insects; where would we be without bees. The species Caroline mentions aren't apex ones, they seem to be key to habitats or biomes. But that doesn't mean that we should be unconcerned about the threat that global warming poses to them. Humankind understands the overall ecosystems of our planet and how they all interact that we can't possibly predict how the loss of the snowshoe hare would affect us. Even if its loss would have minimal consequences for us, does that mean we shouldn't work to preserve it or any of the other species that Caroline describes? I think the answer is no.

Please read Caroline's full post for lots more information and considered thoughts on this important topic.