Mammal species occupy different climates following the expansion of human impacts
Abstract in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:
Mammals on landscapes within North America are now living in different climates than they did prior to major human expansions. Many smaller animals have expanded into climates now dominated by agricultural and urban regions; whereas large-bodied mammals were forced out of these climates and were relegated to colder, dryer regions. As a result, the distributions of modern mammals do not accurately reflect the range of climatological conditions where species can live. Rather, they reflect the marginalization or facilitation that those species have undergone following the expansion of major human activities. Failing to mitigate the ecological changes that mammals are experiencing can have unprecedented impacts on the future survival of the remaining large-bodied species in North America.
The College of Arts