Global warming threatens tropical species, the ecosystem and its by-products

Vitt has studied the ecology of lizards in rain forests around the world and, for the past 20 years, as part of a biodiversity project in the Amazon. As a fellow researcher on a study funded by the National Science Foundation, Vitt investigated the affects of global warming on tropical lizards and the diversity of the ecosystem. “We depend on these tropical lizards and other species of animals and plants for food, materials, and pharmaceuticals, but we are losing these species as a result of global warming,” Vitt remarks.

Tropical species are affected more by the very narrow temperature range of their typically warm climate than are ectotherms living where the temperatures fluctuate in greater degrees. Even the smallest change in the tropics makes a difference to the tropical species most susceptible to climate change. “Climatic shifts are part of our natural history, but years of research indicate global warming has increased the rate at which climate change is taking place, ” Vitt states.

As populations grow around the world, so does consumption. In the densest areas of the world, the elimination of animals that feed on disease vectors, such as mosquitoes and flies, adds to our growing human health problem. “The loss of these predators, like tropical species, upset the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem,” Vitt notes. “The effects may not be so obvious in the short term, but the long-term effects will be irreversible.”

Tropical rain forests contain most species of animals and plants needed to sustain the world’s population, but global warming has already upset the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem. An international debate over global warming ensues while the world’s population continues to grow. “At some point,” Vitt concludes, “we have to address the world’s growing population which doubles every 30 years.”

“Our ability to connect with nature and better understand tropical lizards is important because these animals serve as model organisms for detecting the effects of global warming,” Vitt summarizes. “Ecosystems are complex and interdependent. When one species becomes extinct, the entire system is affected. The long-term effects on human health can be dramatic.”

For more information about Laurie Vitt and his research, visit the National Science Foundation Website at http://nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115109&org=NSF or the University of Oklahoma Sam Noble Museum of Natural History Website at http://www.snomnh.ou.edu.

Media Contact

Jana Smith EurekAlert!

More Information:

http://www.ou.edu

All latest news from the category: Ecology, The Environment and Conservation

This complex theme deals primarily with interactions between organisms and the environmental factors that impact them, but to a greater extent between individual inanimate environmental factors.

innovations-report offers informative reports and articles on topics such as climate protection, landscape conservation, ecological systems, wildlife and nature parks and ecosystem efficiency and balance.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

First-of-its-kind study uses remote sensing to monitor plastic debris in rivers and lakes

Remote sensing creates a cost-effective solution to monitoring plastic pollution. A first-of-its-kind study from researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how remote sensing can help monitor and…

Laser-based artificial neuron mimics nerve cell functions at lightning speed

With a processing speed a billion times faster than nature, chip-based laser neuron could help advance AI tasks such as pattern recognition and sequence prediction. Researchers have developed a laser-based…

Optimising the processing of plastic waste

Just one look in the yellow bin reveals a colourful jumble of different types of plastic. However, the purer and more uniform plastic waste is, the easier it is to…