Ice-Age Reptile Extinctions Provide a Glimpse of Likely Responses to Human-Caused Climate Change by Dana Tricarico

This article talks about reptile extinction on the Greek islands over the past 15,000 that may offer a preview into the future, of how plants and animals will respond to the changing climates of global warming. These extinctions also show the major importance of preserving the habitats that will enable plants and animals to migrate in response to climate change, in order to survive. Many reptile populations perished as the climate warmed at the end of the last ice age, due to sea levels rising, and cool and moist forested areas spread as aridity took over the regions they lived in. Johannes Foufopoulos and his colleagues found a pattern to the Greek island extinctions. This pattern was that most reptile populations (of the 34 researched) disappeared on the smallest islands first. This correlates to the fact that the habitat choices were most limited in those areas. “Habitat specialist” reptiles were hard hit because they required a narrow range of environmental conditions to survive, while northern-dwelling species that required cool, moist conditions showed some of the highest extinction rates as well. The researchers conclude that a similar pattern of extinctions will happen at certain spots as the climate becomes hotter in the coming decades and centuries. This suggests that if species survive the global climate shift that is currently happening, not only do humans have to conserve more land, but they will also have to be connected through a network of habitats so that they can migrate.

This idea, that changes in climate will elicit a similar response from plants and animals now, that it did 15,000 years ago, makes sense. This is because, if it was hard for plants and animals to migrate, due to small areas of land, like on the Greek Islands, that pattern will not change now without our help. Therefore, I think that the idea to have a connected network of habitats to help them migrate if they survive the current climate change, is a great idea, because since humans have the capacity to help save their species, we should do everything we can. For instance, conserving more land is something that can be easily done, and can allow a great deal of species to migrate depending on the climate.

This relates to this course, because one of the main points of Earth Science is what affects the earth. It also touches on environmental issues. Greenhouse gases affect the earth, which creates global warming-a huge environmental issue in our world today. Not only will plants and animals have to adapt to a changing climate, but they will have to be forced to traverse an increasingly changed natural landscape.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101209141243.htm