Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands

In case my chalkboard graphic was not enough, I have put together an even more compelling graphic to better illustrate the findings of Corcoran et al. In their study of Alaskan boreal wetland responses to climate change!

Figure 1: climate change and Alaskan wetlands (Morse, 2014)

In Summary, since late 1980s wetlands have shrunk in size due to increased average temperatures in Alaska of 3-4 degrees Celsius. This decrease in wetland size means a higher concentration of nutrients which leads to phytoplankton blooms. These blooms mean more food for zooplankton and less algae fallout to benthic invertebrates. Since migratory birds rely on benthic inverts for a large portion of their diet, the researchers predicted that we may begin to see shrinking migratory bird populations.

Some of the data supporting this research is assumed to be the same for all wetlands in the study area. This is problematic because the area that they were surveying has 20,000 wetlands in a 36,000 square kilometer area. However, It is nonetheless interesting to think about the cataclysmic effects that climate change can have on an entire ecosystem.

Corcoran, R.M., Lovvorn, J.R., Heglund, P.J. (2009). Long-term change in limnology and invertebrates in Alaskan boreal wetlands. Hydrobiologia, 620(1), 77-89. 

"What The Vampire Said To The Horseshoe Crab: 'Your Blood Is Blue?'"

When we talked about the oxygen-carrying molecule, hemoglobin, that is present in most animals, we also mentioned that some, instead have hemocyanin, which causes the blood to be blue when oxygenated.  Check out this NPR story about the amazing things being learned about the properties of this blood in horseshoe crabs:



and this PBS video, "Blue Blood at $15,000 a quart"!

Repost: Why Giant Bugs Once Roamed the Earth

We've talked a bit about gigantic dragonflies found in the fossil record from the Carboniferous period.  I mentioned that a recent study on oxygen limitation in insects suggests that the leading theory about these giant arthropods  - that they got big because the high levels of O2 made it possible - may not be correct.  Interestingly they propose that young insects HAD to grow large to avoid oxygen poisoning.

Read more here (the National Geo article, which is also the source of the photo above).  The original research article by Verberk and Bilton in PLoS ONE is here.

Verberk WCEP, Bilton DT (2011) Can Oxygen Set Thermal Limits in an Insect and Drive Gigantism? PLoS ONE 6(7):