Study warns of danger to koala from extreme heat
Print Edition
Australia’s native koala could face a wipeout from increasing temperatures unless “urgent” action is taken to plant trees for shelter as well as eucalypts to eat, a study found yesterday.
Lead researcher Mathew Crowther from the University of Sydney said the three-year study tracked 40 koalas by satellite in north-western New South Wales to examine their nesting and feeding habits.
It was the first research to compare where the tree-dwelling marsupials spent their days against their nights and found that large, mature trees with dense leaves were critical to their survival, particularly during bush fires and heat waves.
“Our research confirmed koalas shelter during the day in different types of trees to the eucalypts they feed on at night,” said Crowther. “We found the hotter it is during the day the more koalas will tend to seek out bigger trees with denser foliage to try to escape those temperatures.”
Unlike their very selective feeding sites — koalas eat the leaves of a narrow range of eucalyptus species — Crowther said the study found the animals would shelter in a relatively wide variety of trees, underscoring the impact of land-clearing on their vulnerability as Australia’s temperatures hit new records.
Crowther said one-quarter of the study group was wiped out by a 2009 heatwave that preceded Australia’s Black Saturday bushfires, an alarming statistic “given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.” “Ensuring a habitat has a good supply of feed trees and protecting koalas from predators is not enough to ensure their survival,” he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
