Thursday, July 01, 2010

If warming is good for some animals that you hate, maybe it's also good for some animals that you don't hate?

A little bit of sanity creeps into your standard-issue alarmist article:

Warmer is better: Invasive cane toads set to thrive under global warming
As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature. This is a major cause for concern as the cane toad, once introduced to Australia as agricultural pest-control of the cane beetle, is an already highly invasive species and considered a pest in Australia. The researchers present their new findings at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague on Friday, July 2, 2010.
...
"Warmer temperatures are advantageous and there is no indication that high temperatures limit oxygen delivery", explained Professor Seebacher.

The scientists say this positive effect may also apply to other anurans (the class of amphibians that includes frogs and toads), but more research needs to be done to find out.

"The impact of global warming doesn't have to be negative. Global average temperatures at present may in fact be cooler than many animals would like", explained Professor Seebacher.

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