Vulnerability of Furbearers in Ontario's Clay Belt to Climate Change
Author: Jeff Bowman
Publisher:
Published: 2012-10
Total Pages: 11
ISBN-13: 9781460601921
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The authors assessed the vulnerability of furbearers in the Clay Belt to climate change. They identified four processes leading to vulnerability: the introduction of southern competitors and pathogens, increased extinction risk of cold-adapted species, selection for early breeding, and reduced synchrony. Potential indicators of these processes include the distribution and abundance of temperate species, such as the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the distribution and abundance of cold-adapted species, such as the American marten (Martes americana) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). Other indicators include changes in the seasonal timing of breeding in rodents such as the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) and changes to the frequency and amplitude of the lynx-snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle. Overall, they anticipate that climate change will result in the Clay Belt and its constituent furbearer species becoming more temperate in character.--Document.