Climate change is altering the way animals, insects and plants behave, and it has cascading effects in delicately balanced ecosystems that also can affect humans.Genie, a 13-year-old American black bear, takes a nap at the Ecomuseum west of Montreal, on March 3. She came out of hibernation on March 1, almost a month ahead of her usual schedule.
The weather experienced during El Niño, the cyclical warming of a particular area of the Pacific Ocean, could be a harbinger of things to come, says one naturalist. "As as the climate warms, things like West Nile virus, malaria, avian influenza, these these diseases are are are spreading and moving, certainly in part because of of climate-related effects," said Ted Cheskey, naturalist director at Nature Canada.
Nathalie Jreidini, a biologist and educational director at Ecomuseum, says there have been similar reports in Ontario. But another problem, even though we are seeing warmer temperatures, is that we also still get cold spells. Which, of course, are especially dangerous to amphibians.