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https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-plants-less-nutritious-that-could-already-be-hurting-animals-that-are-grazers-240068>
"More than one-third of all animals on Earth, from beetles to cows to
elephants, depend on plant-based diets. Plants are a low-calorie food source,
so it can be challenging for animals to consume enough energy to meet their
needs. Now climate change is reducing the nutritional value of some foods that
plant eaters rely on.
Human activities are increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and raising
global temperatures. As a result, many plants are growing faster across
ecosystems worldwide.
Some studies suggest that this “greening of the Earth” could partially offset
rising greenhouse gas emissions by storing more carbon in plants. However,
there’s a trade-off: These fast-tracked plants can contain fewer nutrients per
bite.
I’m an ecologist and work with colleagues to examine how nutrient dilution
could affect species across the food web. Our focus is on responses in
plant-feeding populations, from tiny grasshoppers to giant pandas.
We believe long-term changes in the nutritional value of plants may be an
underappreciated cause of shrinking animal populations. These changes in plants
aren’t visually evident, like rising seas. Nor are they sudden and imminent,
like hurricanes or heat waves. But they can have important impacts over time.
Plant-eating animals may need more time to find and consume food if their usual
meal becomes less nutritious, exposing themselves to greater risks from
predators and other stresses in the process. Reduced nutritional values can
also make animals less fit, reducing their ability to grow, reproduce and
survive."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
