This year’s warm winter has researchers at SUNY-ESF wondering how the weather will affect the behaviors and populations of local wildlife.

Most State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry biologists said it is too early to tell exactly how the warmer winter will affect local animals, but they can infer the immediate and long-term effects from previous research.

Deer populations may be positively influenced by warmer weather, said William Shields, a biologist and professor at ESF.

‘We know that harsh winters kill deer, so a soft winter will allow deer to survive better because they can get more food,’ he said.

But Shields said the larger deer population might cause issues for local individuals because a larger population will eat from more gardens and cause more car accidents. He also said the warmer weather could cause bears to spend less time hibernating, which may cause them to be more of a nuisance in people’s trash.

Insects such as beetles, wasps, moths and bees that bury themselves in the ground could experience some consequences from the lack of snow caused by the warmer winters, said Alex Gerson, a former ESF student and doctoral candidate at the University of Western Ontario.

‘Snow is an insulator,’ Gerson said. ‘It makes the insects’ environment more stable.’

When there is no snow on the ground, temperatures may vary more and could harm the burrowing insects’ ability to store food as fat, Gerson said.

Kim Adams of the ESF extension service said certain insects such as the borers, which spend winters inside trees or in people’s homes, could actually benefit from the warmer winters.

And if there are more insects, Shields said, then the increase will naturally influence their predators, such as birds. Adams said a former ESF professor had students conduct research to see if an expansion of migratory birds in the North was taking place.

‘We’ve actually seen that migratory birds will stop migrating if you provide them with enough food,’ he said.

Fish may also benefit from this warmer winter, said Neil Ringler, an ESF fisheries ecologist. Fish may lay more eggs because their embryos could have a better chance of survival with more favorable temperatures.

He said this summer he plans to look at the growth rings on scales of fish, including brown trout and salmon, to determine if this winter caused more rapid growth than usual.

Though the effects of this one winter on many species could be minimal, if warmer winters become a pattern it could spell trouble for some local animals that will not be able to adapt quickly enough — especially if there is another freeze.

He said many scientists at ESF will be doing research in the future that can help them better determine more precise effects.

Said Shields: ‘We have other people doing models on what to expect based on changes in temperature due to climate change.’

smhazlit@syr.edu

 

Published on February 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Shannon: smhazlit@syr.edu