<
https://www.futurity.org/giraffes-climate-change-rain-temperature-2931752/>
"Climate change is expected to cause widespread decline in wildlife populations
worldwide. But little was previously known about the combined effects of
climate change and human activity on the survival rates not only of giraffes,
but of any large African herbivore species.
For the new, decade-long study, the researchers looked at a giraffe population
in the Tarangire region of Tanzania. The study area spanned more than a
thousand square kilometers, including areas inside and outside protected areas.
Contrary to expectations, the researchers found higher temperatures positively
affected adult giraffe survival, while rainier wet seasons negatively affected
adult and calf survival.
The research team quantified the effects of local anomalies of temperature,
rainfall, and vegetation greenness on the probability of survival of the
giraffes. They also explored whether climate had a greater effect on giraffes
that were also affected by human activity at the edges of the protected
reserves.
“Studying the effects of climate and human pressures on a long-lived and
slow-breeding animal like a giraffe requires monitoring their populations over
a lengthy time period and over a large area, enough to capture both climate
variation and any immediate or delayed effects on survival,” says lead author
Monica Bond, a postdoctoral research associate in the department of
evolutionary biology and environmental studies at the University of Zurich."
Via Rixty Dixet.
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
