3 Animals Climate change leads to “shape change”

On September 7, a new study was published that came to the shocking conclusion: Animals change shape in response to climate change. The study is being conducted by scientists at Deakin University in Australia and is tracking how 30 species have responded to rising climate temperatures. Let’s dive deeper into what “shape shifting” means and the 3 animals that change in response to global warming.

Climate change has a big impact on animals

A Deakin University study looked at how animals cope with fever. In warm-blooded species such as mammals and birds, certain body parts become larger in order to better control body temperature. Researchers studied the growth of body parts such as beaks, ears and legs to determine if species are changing with increasing global temperatures.

Conclusion: body parts such as the beaks and ears of mammals. are growing in response to climate change. One note: this does not mean that animals in general are getting larger, but instead are growing body parts that can dissipate heat at a tremendous rate.

Let’s dive into three animals that the study identified as rapidly evolving – or “changing shape” – to respond to changes in global temperature.

Australian parrots

One of the largest “shape shifts” in animals has been found in the Australian parrot, which has increased its beak area by 10% since the 19th century. The researchers noted:

Among these, Australian parrots have shown an average 4–10% increase in beak area since 1871, which was positively predicted by average summer temperatures in the years leading up to the date of collection.

– Trends in Ecology and Evolution Research

Parrots deserve special attention because they not only live in climates subject to extreme temperature changes, but also in equatorial regions with climates that exhibit relatively stable temperatures throughout the year.

Dark Eyed Junko

In addition to the parrots, the researchers noted that the dark-eyed junko “[S]what is the relationship between increased banknote size and short-term relative temperature extremes in a typically cold environment.

Their conclusion? Whether extreme events cause body changes in dark-eyed junko.

Big round bat

Finally, the study found that species such as bats and shrews observe morphological changes as a result of climate change. This species has relatively increased wings, ears, tails and legs.

Overall, the researchers controlled for factors that could influence the growth of certain body parts, and found that climate change is responsible for at least half of the growth among the species studied.

Sepelsky other… showed that both maximum and average temperature accounted for nearly half of the total variation in morphology across studies, regardless of whether the trait increased or decreased in size. Sepelsky other… emphasized the importance of climatic fluctuations in the strength, direction and form of selection observed in wild populations, but they also emphasized that the direction of selection often changes. “

– Trends in Ecology and Evolution Research

The essence? Although species change rapidly, it is not known if they will be able to evolve fast enough to keep pace with climate change. In the coming years, serious scientific research will definitely be carried out in this area!