The boreal forest, or taiga, rings the norther part of the globe and includes parts of Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Asia. A big change in the number that survive the winter impacts their ability to replenish themselves over the summer breeding season, which could disrupt the whole food web,” Krebs said. “Practically everything eats snowshoe hares in the boreal forest. If the snowshoe hare population takes a nosedive, this could affect the entire ecosystem, he said. Snowshoe hares are what ecologists call a keystone species because so many other animals depend on them for food, said Charles Krebs, senior author of the study and a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. These hares are then more vulnerable to predators.” So, if hares are beginning to molt later in the year, there is a greater chance they will not be fully white by the time their environment is white. The whole molting process takes about a month. “Hares begin to change color based on environmental cues such as temperature and snow depth, but the change doesn’t happen overnight. ![]() We can see in this study that climate change is making it harder for the hares to get that timing just right.” said Madan Oli, first author of the study and a professor in the UF/IFAS wildlife ecology and conservation department. “When it comes to the switch from brown to white, which we call molting, timing is everything. The scientists found that hares that were more brown than white in autumn were less likely to survive the winter However, the data also suggest that waiting too long can be deadly. Their new study, which used 44 years of data on snowshoe hares in Canada’s Yukon Territory, shows that as the region has warmed, hares are waiting longer to turn pure white. Scientists from the University of Florida and Canada are beginning to answer that question. Come winter, these all-white hares are harder for predators to spot against the snowy landscape, helping ensure their survival.īut as global warming reduces snowfall in the region, will the hares’ seasonal color swap continue to keep them safe?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |