Photo credit: Orvar Atli Orgeirsson

If you have been mildly paying attention over the last week then I am sure you have heard, read, watched or in some form or another come into contact with pieces of climate change news filtering out from Copenhagen.  And with the subject completely in the spotlight, the IUCN has named names so to speak by releasing a list of species most at risk from a shifting global climate.  According to the IUCN today (Dec. 14^th):

The report, Species and Climate Change, focuses on 10 species, the Arctic Fox, Leatherback Turtle, Koala, Beluga Whale, Clownfish, Emperor Penguin, Quiver Tree, Ringed Seal, salmon and staghorn corals, which all highlight the way climate change is adversely affecting marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

“Humans are not the only ones whose fate is at stake here in Copenhagen – some of our favourite species are also taking the fall for our CO2 emissions,” says report co-author Wendy Foden. “This report should act as a wake-up call to governments to make real commitments to cut CO2 emissions if we are to avoid a drastically changed natural world. We simply don’t have the time for drawn-out political wrangling. We need strong commitments and we need them now.”

Polar species are being affected by loss of ice due to global warming, according to the report. The Ringed Seal is being forced further north as the sea ice it relies on for pup-rearing retreats. The Emperor Penguin, highly adapted to unforgiving Antarctic conditions, faces a similar problem. Regional sea ice, which it needs for mating, chick-rearing and moulting, is declining. Reduced ice cover also means less krill, affecting food availability for the Emperor Penguin and many other Antarctic species.

Photo credit: Kit M. Kovacs/Christian Lydersen

The Arctic tundra on which the Arctic Fox depends is disappearing as warming temperatures allow new plant species to flourish. As the habitat changes from tundra to forest, the Red Fox, which preys on the Arctic Fox and competes with it for food, is able to move further north, reducing the Arctic Fox’s territory.

The Arctic’s Beluga Whale is likely to be affected by global warming both directly, through loss of sea ice and subsequent difficulty finding prey, and indirectly, through human activity as melting sea ice opens up previously inaccessible areas. Ship strikes, pollution and gas and oil exploration all put this highly sociable mammal at risk.

“Ordinary people are not powerless to stop these tragic losses,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission. “They can cut down on their own CO2 emissions and voice their support for strong action by their Governments to change the dire climate prognosis we are currently facing.”

The impacts of climate change are not confined to polar regions. In more tropical areas, staghorn corals, which include some 160 species, are severely affected by rising ocean temperatures, which causes coral bleaching. Ocean acidification, the result of too much CO2 in the oceans, weakens the corals’ skeletons.

Clownfish, of “Finding Nemo” fame, are also victims of ocean acidification. Acidic water disrupts their sense of smell, impairing their ability to find their specific host anemone, which they rely on for protection. Salmon, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the commercial fishing industry, are threatened by increases in water temperature, which reduces water’s oxygen levels, increases their susceptibility to disease and disrupts their breeding efforts.

Photo credit: Daniele Sartori

Australia’s iconic Koala faces malnutrition and ultimate starvation as the nutritional quality of Eucalyptus leaves declines as CO2 levels increase. The Leatherback Turtle, another iconic species, is being affected by rising sea levels and increased storm activity due to climate change which destroys its nesting habitats. Temperature increases may lead to a reduction in the proportion of males relative to females.

An increase in CO2 levels does not just affect animals however; it also impacts on the world’s plants. The Quiver Tree, found in the Namib Desert region of southern Africa, is losing populations in the equator-ward parts of their distribution range due to drought stress. They highlight the problems that all plants and slow-moving species face in keeping up with rapidly accelerating changing climate.

“Several of the species highlighted in the report are already listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, due to other threats such as habitat destruction or over harvesting,” says Jean-Christophe Vié, Deputy Head of IUCN’s Species Programme. “Others are not currently threatened on the IUCN Red List, but will be very soon as the effects of climate change materialise. For a large portion of biodiversity, climate change is an additional and major threat.”

Overfishing is rearing its ugly head once again and I am quite certain the repercussions of depleting our world’s fish stocks will continue to directly (and indirectly) strangle a multitude of species. Taking center stage are 7 tuxedo-clad species threatened by commercial fisheries, increased competition for prey, habitat loss and degradation, disease, predation, and climate change.

The technological boom over the last 60 years has catapulted the fishing industry into a commercial titan, enabling ships to continue fishing ocean waters for weeks before returning home with bursting hulls. Now fast forward to the 21st century and it should be no surprise that the annual global fish catch is in excess of 100 million tons (as of 2004) and at least 33% of the world’s fish stocks are overfished.

Apparently this means more than an empty slot in the seafood counter and mere inconveniences for shoppers as penguins and other wildlife do not have the luxury of skimming through grocery stores for their next meals.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has found the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is in danger of extinction due to a dramatic decline in numbers caused by oil pollution and overfishing. Besides the decrease in available prey, reduced fisheries are increasing the pressure on penguin predation as predators are expanding their diets and/or focusing efforts on species that are readily accessible.

This is a classic example of what is touted in environmental circles regarding interdependence amongst species and ecosystems, and thanks to the landmark “March of the Penguins”, listing some of the now famous emperor penguin’s brethren may be the spark required to initiate the cute factor and gain society’s attention to the plight of our dwindling fisheries.

Besides the African penguin’s proposal for an endangered listing, the FWS recommends 6 penguin species for threatened status:

• the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)
• the white-flippered penguin (Eudyptula minor albosignata)
• the Fiordland crested penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus),
• the erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri)
• the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)
• the Southern Rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) in part of its homerange

More than 60% of Americans believe global warming is already wielding change with its hot hand (Gallup, April 21, 2008), and things get a little bit stickier when one tries to nail down whether the green house effect is manmade, a natural climate cycle, or a combination of the two. My personal take is that there is something to be said for natural variability, but much like Newton’s 3rd law of motion, common sense dictates that flooding our oceans, waterways, atmosphere, and environment with pollutants is not an “effect-less” practice.

But, I do not necessarily want to rehash the current state of the global warming spat. Instead I found a new article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in which climate change “may also help to explain the seemingly nonrandom pattern of species loss among certain plant groups (Phylogenetic patterns of species loss in Thoreau’s woods are driven by climate change, 2008).”

According to the findings, over the last 150 years in Concord, MA 27% of plant species have gone extinct and the populations of 36% have decreased by such an enormous extent that extinction appears to be forthcoming. Additionally, the author found that certain evolutionarily related groups are more vulnerable to temperature increases and will definitely decline.

Yes, this site is dedicated to wildlife and as such I can’t help but extrapolate the implications to our fauna with the loss of phylogenetic plant groups. Invariably, some animal species are more directly and indirectly susceptible to climate change and we will witness their downturn. Specialization is a perfect example that has allowed certain species (panda bear, karner blue butterfly) to fill a niche, but presents problems as habitats and ecosystems change rapidly.

If entire groups of plants have already been rendered extinct in Concord because of global warming then it is safe to say that this is not a regional trend, but a national development that will ultimately affect biodiversity.