Biological traits make animals susceptible to climate change

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 8 Oct 08;

More than one in three birds, half of amphibians and almost three-quarters of reef-building corals are at risk from climate change, a new study has revealed.

They display some of the biological traits that make them susceptible to climate change, according to the first results of a study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

The study reveals:

* 3,438 of the world's 9,856 bird species have at least one out of 11 traits that could make them susceptible to climate change.

* 3,217 of the 6,222 amphibians in the world are likely to be susceptible.

* 566 of 799 warm-water reef-building coral species are likely to be susceptible.

Species which rely on specific habitats, such as polar regions or tropical forest, those that are vulnerable to changes in temperature, and those which rely on climate triggers such as rainfall to breed or migrate, will be most at risk.

Predators which rely on other species for food and those unable to move on to new habitats when their own becomes unsuitable will also be most affected.

Among birds Albatross, penguin, petrel and shearwater are all likely to be susceptible while heron and egret families, and osprey, kite, hawk and eagle families are among those least likely to be affected.

In amphibians three salamander families could be particularly susceptible, while 80-100 per cent of Seychelles frogs and Indian Burrowing Frogs, Australian ground frogs, horned toads and glass frog families were assessed as susceptible.

Specialised habitat requirements, such as species with water-dependant larvae, and those unable to disperse due to barriers such as large water bodies or human-transformed habitats are most at risk.

Among corals the Acroporidae family, including staghorn corals, had particularly high numbers of susceptible species, while the Fungiidae family, including mushroom corals, and the Mussidae family, including some brain corals, possess relatively few.

Coral species qualified due to their sensitivity to increases in temperature, sedimentation and physical damage from storms and cyclones. Poor dispersal ability and colonisation potential were used as a further important indicators.

In all the IUCN study identified more than 90 biological traits which puts species at risk.

Wendy Foden, of IUCN's Species Programme, said: "This is the first time that a systematic assessments of species' susceptibility to climate change has been attempted.

"Climate change is already happening, but conservation decision makers currently have very little guidance on which species are going to be the worst affected."

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 32 per cent of amphibians are threatened with extinction. Of these, 75 per cent are susceptible to climate change while 41 per cent of non-threatened species are susceptible to climate change.

For birds, the overall percentage of those threatened with extinction is lower - 12 per cent. However, 80 per cent are susceptible to climate change.

Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN Species Programme, said: "Climate change may cause a sharp rise in the risk and rate of extinction of currently threatened species.

"But we also want to highlight species which are currently not threatened but are more likely to become so as climate change impacts intensify. By doing this we hope to promote pre-emptive and more effective conservation action."