Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Climate Change and Wildlife

A lecture by Professor Jane Hill, Department of Biology, University of York

Global climates are changing and many plants and animals are responding to these changes, for example by altering the timing of events such as budburst, and by shifting their ranges to track climate. Thus in Britain, the northwards expansions of insects to colonise areas that have become more climatically suitable have been observed.   Britain is a great place to study the responses of species to climate change because we have a tradition of monitoring and recording species that goes back to Victorian times, and so we have detailed records for species over long periods of time. Professor Hill will present results from studies at the University of York showing how species have responded to recent climate changes and the problems species face from the ‘double whammy’ of climate change and destruction of their natural habitats.  She will also talk about ways in which we might help conserve species in these environmentally challenging times.

Report

Because of their physiology and lifestyle, butterflies are particularly sensitive to the effects of climate change: and because of their beauty, an army of amateur entomologists has, over the years, amassed copious data on their distribution. This enthralling talk showed us how this information gives insight into the effects of climate change.

A particular species thrives in a zone delimited to a large extent by temperature. Temperature falls with latitude: as global temperatures rise, a species can remain within its ‘comfort zone’ only by shifting northwards. The speckled wood butterfly, for example, formerly found only in the south and west of England, has spread northwards, is now common in York, and is currently extending into southern Scotland. Similar movement northwards has been observed in mammals, birds, fish, beetles and spiders. An alternative is movement upwards, since temperature falls with altitude. Such a shift has taken place with moth species on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, showing that the tropics are also affected by global warming.

In general, the northward and upwards shifts have lagged behind observed temperature changes, being limited in part by access to suitable habitat. Movement can be assisted, for example by creating wildlife corridors or protected areas, or even artificially translocating species to new areas.

Peter Hogarth