From squirrels to wolves, mammals have a problem. A new study examined which threatens them more - direct human actions, or climate change
The State of Israel faces significant threats to biodiversity, as indicated Fabric report (The National Program for Assessing the State of Nature). The intensity of these threats and the rapid pace of their development are mainly due to direct human impacts. now, A new American study Provides surprising insights into the impact of climate change on mammal distribution. The study, recently published in the scientific journal "Diversity and Distributions", suggests that the effects of the climate may be even more significant than the direct effects of man.
Contrary to expectations
The team of researchers, led by Prof. Roland Case from the University of North Carolina and with the participation of Dr. Hila Shamon, an Israeli researcher from the Smithsonian Institution, analyzed impressive data collected from 6,645 sites across the United States. The study is part of a national monitoring program called Snapshot USA led by the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum of North Carolina, and was based on the use of surveillance cameras to document 25 species of mammals, From small squirrels to large predators like Wolves and bears The sampling effort is now in its fifth year, covering the entire United States. This research method allows researchers to get an accurate and comprehensive picture of animal movements and their distribution patterns, while emphasizing the extensive scope of the project and the international cooperation.
The main findings of the study are surprising in their scope and significance. Contrary to the early expectations that assumed that human influences would be the main causes of changes in the distribution of mammals, the researchers discovered that the temperature and the amount of precipitation were the most influencing factors on the distribution. The effect of climate was found to be more significant than direct human factors such as population density or agricultural activity. Case explains in a press release: "One of our hypotheses was that humans have changed our landscape to such an extent that we have become the main factor in determining where animals will live. What we found was that humans were actually not the most important factor. Climate was the most important factor in most of the species we observed."
A research method that allows researchers to get an accurate and comprehensive picture of animal movements and their distribution patterns. Photo: pixabay
Even the little ones make an impact
Another significant factor identified in the study and found to be an important factor in determining the abundance of mammals was the production of food (especially seeds and nuts in the forests) in the natural environment. Shamon emphasizes that although the research focused on medium and large mammals, it was found that the presence of small vertebrates (animals that have a backbone, such as mammals) also has a significant effect on the environment. They help disperse nutrients in the soil and spread seeds, and influence populations of other species as part of the food web. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding the ecological role of all groups of animals, large and small, in the context of climate change and biodiversity conservation, and point to the need for a systemic view in the study and conservation of ecosystems.
The study also identified a match between the composition of the mammal society in a defined area and the composition of the vegetation groups in it, which strengthens the understanding of the close relationship between the distribution of mammals and the conditions of the natural environment. In light of this, Shamon emphasizes the need for an in-depth examination at the local level of the effects on these small species, caused by both human activity and climate change. More focused follow-up studies may provide essential insights for the conservation of biodiversity and for understanding the local effects of global changes.
The human influence in Israel
While the findings of the American study provide important insights, it is important to examine their implications for the situation in Israel. Israel's location in the eastern Mediterranean basin is particularly affected from climate change. Shamon emphasizes that "the research was conducted on a continental scale, so it is important to refer to trends on this scale. There are local effects unique to certain regions, and there are additional explanatory variables that can be examined at the local level."
In this context, Dr. Benny Shalmon, former Eilat district ecologist at the Nature and Parks Authority and a mammal expert in Israel, who did not participate in the study, points out a number of significant differences between the situation in the United States and that in Israel. First, Shalmon emphasizes the difference in the variety of species: "Out of about 90 Wild mammals in Israel, most of them are small and are not necessarily photographed with such cameras. Bats (about 30 species) and rodents (about 30 species) make up a significant part of the diversity." This is in contrast to the American study that reviews about 25 medium-sized and larger mammal species.
Second, the human impact in Israel seems more significant than in the United States. "Israel is small and its population is growing a lot - over 2 percent per year," explains Shalmon. "The influence of man and his actions greatly affects the extinction of species, and probably outweighs the influence of climate change." It is important to note that population density In Israel it is 11 times greater than in the United States, which emphasizes the intensity of the human impact on the habitats in the country. Therefore, despite the importance of the findings from the American study, the decisive impact of human activity on the mammal populations in Israel cannot be ignored.
It is important to note that the flu Climate change May be different for different species. One of the examples of this, as Shalmon points out, is the invasive species, which push native species away from humans. "These species, which adapt to an urban or agricultural environment, may be less vulnerable to climate change because they can find alternative resources in the human environment. In contrast, species that tend to move away from humans may be significantly more affected by climate change, as they are more dependent on natural ecosystems that may change or shrink" .
Despite the differences, Shalmon agrees that the climate changes, and especially the changes in the amount of precipitation and its distribution, are expected to have a significant impact on the mammal populations in Israel. The decrease in the amount of precipitation is expected to lead to a decrease in the amount of plant biomass available for food for the animals. This process may cause a decrease in the number of vegetarian mammals and affect their survival.
In conclusion, the reality in Israel requires a complex approach to the preservation of biological diversity. In the immediate term, there are significant human factors affecting mammal populations, such as the expansion of urban areas at the expense of natural open spaces, infrastructure development, and habitat fragmentation. Dealing with these effects requires immediate actions such as updating nature surveys and intelligent urban planning in accordance with the findings of the surveys, preservation of ecological corridors and protection of open spaces. At the same time, preparing for climate change requires thinking on a broad regional scale. Cooperation with the countries of the Middle East is necessary for the creation of cross-border conservation strategies, the adaptation of water resources management policies, and the protection of shared ecosystems. Therefore, the only way to deal with the loss of biodiversity depends on our ability to combine immediate solutions to eradicate human impacts, and long-term planning to deal with climate change.
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