The climate crisis is turning the temperature up all over the world, but in southern Africa, the rise has been particularly concerning. Wild animals dependent on delicate ecosystems which are already dry, so that food and water scarcity limits their ability to cope with increased heat, are at serious risk. Scientists studied the behavior of three different species of antelope with overlapping ranges in Namibia to try to understand how animals of different sizes and behaviors adapt to the heat.
"Even the indigenous wildlife, adapted to hot and arid conditions, shows sensitivity to extreme heat," said Paul Berry of the University of Potsdam, lead author of the study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. "We need to consider the possibility that additional anthropogenic influences such as habitat fragmentation may compound the effect of rising temperatures."
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-antelopes-threat-climate-crisis-temperatures.html
"Even the indigenous wildlife, adapted to hot and arid conditions, shows sensitivity to extreme heat," said Paul Berry of the University of Potsdam, lead author of the study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. "We need to consider the possibility that additional anthropogenic influences such as habitat fragmentation may compound the effect of rising temperatures."
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-antelopes-threat-climate-crisis-temperatures.html