The fact that the length of the endangered Tokyo salamander has increased by up to 40% in the past 2 years due to the effects of global warming is that Hisanori Okamiya, Research Fellow, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Assistant Professor Yasushi Kusano It was found in the investigation of (at that time) et al. The number of eggs laid by one female during one breeding season also increased by up to 1%.
According to Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo salamander is a small salamander with a body length of 5 to 8 cm that inhabits the Kanto region and Fukushima prefecture except Gunma prefecture.They usually live in forests, and when they wake up from wintering and enter the breeding season, they lay egg yolk sac filled with dozens of eggs in small ponds and paddy fields.
Tokyo Metropolitan University has been continuously investigating the number of individuals and the number of eggs in the egg sac in habitats in Tokyo since 1976, and Fellow Okamiya and others analyzed the data and collected data from a total of 61 locations. When collected, it was found that the entire habitat was growing in length and the number of eggs was increasing.In particular, it became clear that the higher the latitude, the stronger the tendency.
In order to estimate the effects of global warming, we obtained climate data from the 1980s and 2010s held by the Meteorological Agency, and calculated the average temperature for each age group and the total temperature at which Tokyo salamanders can live. Both the average temperature and the total value were rising.
Based on these results, Dr. Okamiya and his colleagues conclude that the time to wake up from hibernation due to global warming has been accelerated and the period devoted to growth has increased, resulting in an increase in the length of the Tokyo salamander and an increase in the number of eggs. There is.This increase is significantly larger than other organisms reported around the world.
The results of this research clarified the effects of climate change on living organisms, especially for amphibians, which have few research examples. The fact that these results have been obtained from long-term observation data over 40 years indicates the importance of continuing long-term observations in order to understand the effects of climate change.
Paper information:[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society] Increasing body size and fecundity in a salamander over four decades, possibly due to global warming
