The effects of climate change are often reported in the media. There are reports about the rise in ocean levels due to the melting of ice in the Arctic. The increase in major storms around the world is also attributed to climate change. However, climate change seems to be having a greater effect than even many scientists thought. According to new research, it appears that climate change is responsible for fish and bug shrinkage.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered that 19 of the 22 largest beetle species are shrinking. In fact, some of the beetles have shrunk in size by as much as 20 percent. The team of researchers studied over 600,000 beetle specimens collected over the last 100 years. Out of eight species that were extensively studied, five showed significant shrinkage with a beetle known as the snail-killer showing the greatest shrinkage.
Some researchers are skeptical of the findings. They believe that additional factors, including a possible change in available food supplies, may be responsible for the beetles’ change in size.
Researchers are unsure about the impact of smaller beetles on the overall environment. Some dung beetles such as the dung beetle may not be able to clean the environment as well due to a smaller size.
The beetles aren’t the only creatures who are getting smaller. Fish in the area in and around the North Sea are becoming smaller as the temperatures in the water increase. Lower oxygen levels in the warmer water may be causing the fish to expend more energy at a faster rate leading to them becoming smaller. As with the study involving the beetles, scientists are not unanimous in attributing smaller fish sizes to climate change. There may be other explanations, but climate change seems to be the factor that most scientists hold to blame.
