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Climate change spawns the incredible shrinking ant
Reuters ^ | Oct. 16, 2011

Posted on 10/18/2011 4:45:40 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

(Reuters) - Plants and animals are shrinking because of warmer temperatures and lack of water, researchers said on Monday, warning it could have profound implications for food production in years ahead.

"The worst-case scenarios ... are that food crops and animals will shrink enough to have real implications for food security," Assistant Professor David Bickford, of the National University of Singapore's biological sciences department, said.

Bickford and colleague Jennifer Sheridan trawled through fossil records and dozens of studies which showed that many species of plants and creatures such as spiders, beetles, bees, ants and cicadas have shrunk over time in relation to climate change.

They cited an experiment showing how shoots and fruit are 3 to 17 percent smaller for every degree Celsius of warming in a variety of plants.

Each degree of warming also reduces by 0.5 to 4 percent the body size of marine invertebrates and 6 to 22 percent of fish.

"Survival of small individuals can increase with warmer temperatures, and drought conditions can lead to smaller offspring, leading to smaller average size," they wrote in their paper which was published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, on Monday.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: aging; drought; shrinkydinks; sizematters

1 posted on 10/18/2011 4:45:42 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY

So they adapt. What’s the problem?


2 posted on 10/18/2011 4:46:58 PM PDT by chopperman
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To: Free ThinkerNY
It's also spawned shrinking common sense and an enlarged gullibility.

Let's say we accept the idea that man-made global warming is real and that temperatures have risen by 1 degree Celsius. Seriously, 1 C, and we see all these environmental changes?

3 posted on 10/18/2011 4:50:56 PM PDT by ElectronVolt
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To: chopperman

Will women shrink? It makes other “stuff” look even bigger! If ya know what I’m sayin’!


4 posted on 10/18/2011 4:53:00 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Plants and animals are shrinking...

WTF does that even mean? All of them? Some selected species in some corners of the world? Those who control the language control the debate.

5 posted on 10/18/2011 4:57:32 PM PDT by rfp1234 (RFP's Law: Whoever blames Bush first shall lose the argument.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Good. I hope the friggin ants disappear altogether.


6 posted on 10/18/2011 5:00:03 PM PDT by Nachoman (I HOPE we CHANGE presidents.)
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To: chopperman

eggszactly


7 posted on 10/18/2011 5:03:41 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (So much stress was put on Bush's Fault that it finally let go, magnitude 6)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

This is such horse hockey. It was MUCH warne during the time of the dinosaurs - and 3 foot long dragon flies...


8 posted on 10/18/2011 5:12:47 PM PDT by piytar (The Obama Depression. Say it early, say it often. Why? Because it's TRUE.)
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To: ElectronVolt

I reckon it beats ants growing to giant proportions and preying on the population; ala Them!


9 posted on 10/18/2011 5:18:32 PM PDT by Northern Yankee (Where Liberty dwells, there is my Country. - Benjamin Franklin)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Ants, beetles, etc. aren’t the only thing that has shrunken over time!

You can fill in the blanks.


10 posted on 10/18/2011 5:19:48 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Spawn? I am no biologist but doesn't spawn mean hatch underwater?

My trees are getting bigger. Wrong on all accounts!

11 posted on 10/18/2011 5:28:37 PM PDT by mountainlion (I am voting for Sarah after getting screwed again by the DC Thugs.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

. . . was looking for the Planet Gore ping. Any bad turn in the weather gets blamed on “climate change” as usual . . .


12 posted on 10/18/2011 5:35:39 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Free ThinkerNY; golux; SteamShovel; Bockscar; Thunder90; rdl6989; marvlus; Fractal Trader; ...
 


Beam me to Planet Gore !

13 posted on 10/18/2011 5:39:46 PM PDT by steelyourfaith (If it's "green" ... it's crap !!!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

The other day a BBC article said polar bears are shrinking. I’m waiting for one in chihuahua-size. Would that be cool or what?


14 posted on 10/18/2011 6:11:42 PM PDT by MadJack ("Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." (Afghan proverb))
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To: Free ThinkerNY

And CO2 is a plant growth stimulator, but they never report that. I wonder why . . . ?


15 posted on 10/18/2011 6:26:27 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: MadJack

I’m holding out for the mini-giraffe.


16 posted on 10/18/2011 6:27:08 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

This is how we got pygmies.


17 posted on 10/18/2011 6:51:13 PM PDT by bunkerhill7
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Just one minor point of order. There has been no statistically significant global warming during the past ten years.


18 posted on 10/18/2011 8:59:58 PM PDT by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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