As the world continues to warm while nations battle it out over how to handle the problem, the fate of seven American species of plants and animals hangs in the balance. The Environmental Defense Fund has highlighted these ‘ambassador species’ which will likely not survive global warming, in the hopes that they will spur people to act.
There are, of course, thousands – perhaps millions – of species across the world threatened by global warming. There are many more species here in America that are threatened. But these seven species will probably disappear within our lifetime if we don’t do something about it.
Sugar maple – A warmer climate poses several threats to sugar maples. First, sugar maples require cold winters to convert the starch it has stored in the summer to sucrose that will promote new buds in the spring. Sugar maples are also vulnerable to climate-induced drought. And, warmer winters have left the trees more vulnerable to infestations.
Monarch butterfly – In the high altitude conifer forests of central Mexico where they spend the winter, wetter, colder conditions are predicted over next 50 years. Rain followed by freezing temperatures can be lethal to overwintering monarchs. The hotter, drier summer conditions predicted for eastern U.S. and Canada could shift suitable habitats northward, possibly extending migration distances. High temperatures or drought could affect food resources, reproductive success and adult survival. It’s unclear whether the range of the larval monarch’s host plant, milkweed, will shift with the butterfly’s range.
Leatherback sea turtle – Sea level rise from melting glaciers and warmer, expanding ocean water threatens to inundate beaches where leatherbacks and other sea turtles dig their nests. Stronger tropical storms fueled by warmer seas may destroy leatherbacks’ exposed nesting beaches and damage nests. Leatherbacks’ nesting grounds could be further disturbed as humans respond to greater storm threats with beach armoring and new sea walls.
American pika – Some may like it hot but not the pika. Even brief exposures (as little as a few hours) at temperatures above 78 degrees F can be fatal. Plus they rely on snowpack for insulation in the winter. In the southern portions of its range, some populations already occupy the highest altitudes, with no place to move upward to escape the heat.
Canada lynx – The lynx and its main prey, the snowshoe hare, are adapted to deep snow cover. Lynx hunting success (and therefore prey availability) has a great deal to do with snow conditions. Warm winter periods can affect snow texture, depth, and extent of snow cover. Climate change may also reduce the extent and composition of their primary habitat – boreal and alpine forests.
Tufted puffin – Tufted puffins feed on small fish that are sensitive to sea surface temperatures. Scientists have observed that when sea surface temperatures rise, puffins have poorer breeding success. A study on Triangle Island in British Columbia showed that puffin hatch dates, chick growth, and fledging success decreased with warmer sea surface temperatures.
Polar bear – Bears hunt seals, their primary food source, at the edge of Arctic sea ice. As sea ice disappears, bear mortality rises. There are documented instances of bears drowning, unable to make the long swim from one ice flow to the next. Polar bears also appear to be shrinking in size – researchers say the bears are a third smaller than they were 30 years ago as melting ice makes it harder for them to catch seals. Some are now even resorting to eating other bears to survive.
Learn more about each of these species, and how you can help, at the Environmental Defense Fund website.
Link [Environmental Defense Fund]
