Human expansion changed climatic niches mammals occupy

A recent fossil analysis covering 11,700 years finds that many US mammal species are living in different climates than they did prior to human expansion. The growth of cities and agricultural areas contributes to range loss and habitat fragmentation. Silvia Pineda-Munoz and colleagues assessed the human impacts on mammalian climatic niches by studying the fossil record of 46 species from the end of Pleistocene to the present. The selected species represent six taxonomic orders–from rodents to carnivores–and approximately 23.6% of all mammalian species in the contiguous United States. The authors found that 74% of the studied species experienced a major shift in the occupied climate niche after arrival of Europeans in 1500 or the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1850. Climate niches changed the most in portions of ranges overlapped by human expansion. Analysis of diet and body mass showed that the larger species, including elk and cougar, were most affected, while smaller species that have generalist traits are more likely to thrive in human settlements. According to the authors, current ranges reflect the marginalization imposed by human activities and failure to mitigate further ecological changes could impact the future survival of large-bodied mammals.

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Article #19-22859:

“Mammal species occupy different climates following the expansion of human impacts,” by Silvia Pineda-Munoz, Yue Wang, S. Kathleen Lyons, Anikó B. Tóth, and Jenny McGuire.

MEDIA CONTACT:


Silvia Pineda-Munoz,

Indiana University

Bloomington, IN;

tel: (202) 517-3165;

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[email protected]

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