8 Signs the Animal Kingdom Is Out of Whack

Environment 8 Signs the Animal Kingdom Is Out of Whack 18 July 2008 10:34 am ETThe Australian spotted jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata, have invadedthe Gulf of Mexico. With plenty of food, they grow as big as dinnerplates and weigh up to 25 pounds. Credit: Dan Martin/Dauphin IslandSea LabFull Size1 of 3A polar bear clinging to a melting iceberg may the poster child forglobal warming, but rising temperatures, pollution and other humanactivity are also affecting the animal kingdom in far subtler ways.Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, the natural world couldbe giving us other signs that human intervention has knocked it wayoff kilter.Some recent examples:1. Earlier Migration: Several bird species are making their annualnorthward jaunt slightly ahead of schedule in recent springs, as theEast Coast of the United States heats up, according to a studydetailed in the June issue of the journal Global Change Biology. Thereport confirms similar studies dating back to 2006. Early birds maynot sound like a huge deal, but scientists warn that long-distancemigrators who start out in South America, and therefore lack cuesabout the timing of spring in Northern Hemisphere destinations, willbe less able to keep pace with the changing climate. "Trees andshrubs are further along in their development, and different groupsof insects are out," said lead author Abraham Miller-Rushing ofBoston University. "Spring is coming earlier for most other plantsand animals, but not for the long-distance migratory birds. Thus,these long-distance migrant birds may need to learn to eat differentsources of food or face other challenges because of the changes intiming."2: Jellyfish Rule: An outbreak of jellyfish in oceans across theplanet has resulted from the stinging creatures hitching rides onships that circumnavigate the globe. In fact, studies suggest thatalmost a quarter of all marine species in international harbors arealien transplants, thanks to human-assisted dispersal.3: Food Web Contaminated. Scientists said last month that they foundtoxic pollutants in nine deep-sea species of cephalopods, a class ofmollusks that includes octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses.Among the contaminants were at least two banned in the United Statesin the 1970s: dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) andpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Scientists say it's furtherevidence that contaminants make their way deep into the marine foodweb.4. Heading for the Hills: Thirty species of reptiles and amphibianshave fled uphill to cooler climes as global warming has caused themercury to rise. We could see a rash of extinctions occurring between2050 and 2100, scientists say, because higher ground will eventuallyrun out.5. Penguins in Peril: A rapid population decline among penguinsbecause, in addition to a warming planet, they face the triple whammyof oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and aggressive coastlinedevelopment. "Penguins are among those species that show us that weare making fundamental changes to our world," said Dee Boersma, aUniversity of Washington biology professor who has studied theflightless birds for more than 25 years. "The fate of all species isto go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct beforetheir time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins.6. Sea-Life Shift: Scientists see a notable shift in the compositionof coastal marine animal communities, caused in part by changingocean temperatures, from vertebrates (fish) to invertebrates(lobsters, squid, and crabs), as well as from bottom-feeders tospecies that feed higher in the water column. Meanwhile, warm-waterspecies have superseded larger, cool-water species in populationsize.7. Migrating Parasite: The parasite Angiostronglyus vasorum, commonlyknown as "French heartworm," is migrating northward because of risingtemperatures. Normally found in southwestern England, the parasitehas been detected in dogs admitted to animal hospitals in Scotland.Climbing temperatures in the country have also resulted in a suddenproliferation of slugs and snails.8. Food Shortages: Plant-loving animals in extremely seasonalenvironments such as the Arctic struggle to feed themselves becauseglobal warming causes their food supply to peak in availabilitybefore they can reach breeding grounds. "Think of it like this," saidEric Post, a biologist at Penn State. "You've been out on the townwith friends, and on the way home you want to stop off for a bite toeat, but the restaurant you've always gone to has closed early. Soyou try for one around the corner that's always open a little longer.But when you get to that one, it too is closed. For herbivores, thefact that there are several 'restaurants' — their food patches —dispersed across the landscape isn't useful if they all begin closingat the same time in addition to closing earlier in the season."• Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming• Glaciers Disappear in Before & After Photos• North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer