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LiveScienceReindeer & Caribou Populations Plunge
Reindeer and caribou numbers worldwide have plunged nearly 60 percent in the last three decades due to climate change and habitat disturbance caused by humans, a new study finds.
Global warming and industrial development are driving the dramatic decline, said Liv Vors, a Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta who did the study with university biologist Mark Boyce.
"Their future is dubious if climate change and habitat disturbance continue at their current pace," Vors told LiveScience. "We do not know how quickly they can adapt to this changing world."
Reindeer and caribou are two names for the same species. "Generally speaking, caribou are the North American version and reindeer are European," Vors explained. Exact numbers for the creatures are not known, because not enough study has been done. But for those populations that have been studies, the average decline in numbers is 57 percent.
The results come from the first-ever comprehensive census analysis of this species, the researchers said. The findings are detailed in the Global Change Biology Journal. The decline raises serious concerns not only for the animals, but also for people living in northern latitudes who depend on the animals for their livelihood, the scientists say.
What's causing the decline, according to the study:
* Earlier spring green-ups now occur before migrating herds arrive north. This deprives mothers and calves of quality feeding.
* Warmer summers cause more intense insect activity, harassing animals and affecting their feeding.
* The impact of more freezing rain, in place of snow, has negatively impacted lichens that animals feed on during the colder months.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090612/sc_livescience/reindeercariboupopulationsplunge
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