Climate change alters animal bodies, study says 0:47
(CNN) -
Some warm-blooded animals are undergoing body shape changes, likely in response to the pressures of climate change, according to a new review of existing research.
Animals now have larger beaks, legs and ears that allow them to better regulate their body temperature as the planet warms, and birds are particularly affected, says Sara Ryding, a researcher at the University of Deakin, Australia and one of the authors of the research that was published this Tuesday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
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The largest changes in appendage size in the more than 30 animals they analyzed in the review occurred among some Australian parrot species, which saw their beak size increase by between 4% and 10% on average since 1871.
"It means the animals are evolving, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are coping with climate change. We can see that some species have increased the size of their mouths so far, but we don't know if they will be able to keep up as the crisis worsens. climate, "Ryding said by email.
"We also do not know if these changes in shape really help survival (and therefore are beneficial) or not. This phenomenon of change in shape should not be seen as a positive thing, but it is alarming that climate change is pushing the animals to evolve like this, in such a relatively short period of time ".
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Ryding mentioned that the changes were subtle and probably not immediately noticeable, but could be "functionally important."
Although global warming was a "compelling argument" as a driving force behind these shape shifts, the study said it was difficult to "establish causality with confidence" given the multifaceted effects that climate change has on the environment.
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Smaller bodies, larger appendages
Within an animal species, individuals from warmer climates have larger appendages, such as wings and beaks, a pattern known as Allen's rule, since the larger surface area allows animals to control their temperature more easily, the study notes.
At the same time, body size tends to shrink, as smaller bodies retain less heat.
In the United States, a recent study of 70,716 migratory birds of 52 species showed that in the last four decades they have become smaller and larger.
All of the birds were killed by colliding with tall buildings in Chicago during the migration and were collected by the city's Field Museum.
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"Our two studies look at how animals respond to climate change by altering their surface-to-volume ratio," explains Ryding.
Although most of the research on morphological change over time has focused on birds, the paper notes that shrews and bats have increased the relative size of their ears, tail, legs and wings.
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The document states that more research is needed on different species and in different ecosystems to determine the prevalence of the phenomenon and to be able to predict which species might change shape in the future.
"Previous studies have shown cases of shapeshifting, but have focused on individual species or groups. Our review article combines them to show how widespread this phenomenon appears to be," Ryding said.
AnimalsClimate change