How does climate change affect animal behavior?

Arabia Weather - Environments are being shaped at an accelerated rate by climate change, and many animal species are facing changing ecosystems as a result of rising temperatures, rapid changes in the seasons of the year, and the effect of acid decomposition in the oceans. How do climate changes affect animals' brains and behavior?

Changes in sensory surroundings

Prof. Sean O. Donnell, a professor at Drexel University, told The Conversation that changes in temperature shift the energy balance in ecosystems — from plants that produce energy from sunlight to animals that consume other plants and animals — which subsequently affects On the sensory worlds that animals experience. Climate change is likely to challenge all of her senses, from sight and taste to smell and touch.

According to a journal published by the British Ecological Society, researchers conducted an experimental study of the effects of global warming on the effectiveness of mountain lizard chemical signals. The results showed that the effectiveness of odor markers is less at high temperatures. Furthermore, they showed that substrates with a distinct odor that were maintained under high temperatures were not selected by females. Their study suggests that a warming climate could lead to negative changes in the effectiveness of sexual signals, with potential consequences for the sexual selection and conservation of endangered lizard species.

Cognitive and brain changes

Sean O' Donnell told The Conversation that rising temperatures could potentially interfere with the growth and functioning of animals' brains, which could have a negative impact on their ability to successfully adapt to new environments.

Conducted by Joshua J. Amell and his team of researchers from the University of Sydney investigated the effects of incubation temperature on cortical forebrain development in lizards. They found that egg-laying animals expose their embryos to a range of temperature regimes, which can affect the hatchling's morphology and performance, as well as its cognitive function. Their research showed that global climate changes, caused by human activities, may directly modify brain structure in reptiles.

According to a paper published in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers noted that expected future carbon dioxide levels influence the scent-tracking behavior of the shark (Mustelus canis). Shark feeding could also be affected by changes in seawater chemistry expected at the end of this century.

Behavior disorders

Pamela Gonzalez-del-Plego and other researchers from the University of Sheffield measured the thermal sensitivity (critical thermal limit - CTmax) of 14 species of Pristimantes frogs living in the Colombian Andes in young and old secondary zones.

They noted that the impacts of land use and climate change will continue to cause significant difficulties for the survival of tropical species. In fact, indirect effects may further weaken species' resilience to climate change and cause population declines before microenvironment temperatures exceed their critical temperature limits.

Shane K. Maloney of the University of Witwatersrand's School of Medicine and other researchers surveyed the daily activity patterns of residents of a group of female black wildbeast living in a shadeless environment. They discovered that wildbeasts mainly feed at night, with increased feeding at night when environmental conditions were hotter. Periods of inactivity were often spent lying down in cooler weather and standing when the day became hotter. These behavioral responses can have significant impacts on the environmental stimuli to which the animal will be exposed.

Source: cgtn