- Joined
- Aug 26, 2007
- Messages
- 50,241
- Reaction score
- 19,243
- Location
- San Antonio Texas
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Conservative
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100827/full/news.2010.437.With high Andean peaks and a humid tropical forest, Bolivia is a country of ecological extremes. But during the Southern Hemisphere's recent winter, unusually low temperatures in part of the country's tropical region hit freshwater species hard, killing an estimated 6 million fish and thousands of alligators, turtles and river dolphins.
Scientists who have visited the affected rivers say the event is the biggest ecological disaster Bolivia has known, and, as an example of a sudden climatic change wreaking havoc on wildlife, it is unprecedented in recorded history.
"There's just a huge number of dead fish," says Michel Jégu, a researcher from the Institute for Developmental Research in Marseilles, France, who is currently working at the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. "In the rivers near Santa Cruz there's about 1,000 dead fish for every 100 metres of river."
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100827/full/news.2010.437.
I believe I mentioned another story like this earlier, from Peru.
Depends on duration I'd guess. If it's followed by a warm snap the population could recover very quickly. Besides, that area of the globe is an ecological pendulum, it's extreme weather to begin with so people can expect this kind of hit to the wildlife routinely. Still, it's a pretty devastating event.damn, that's really gonna bugger up the ecology there for a long time.
Depends on duration I'd guess. If it's followed by a warm snap the population could recover very quickly. Besides, that area of the globe is an ecological pendulum, it's extreme weather to begin with so people can expect this kind of hit to the wildlife routinely. Still, it's a pretty devastating event.
Because the deaths occurred mainly in rivers, Smolders suspects that they are linked to infection. "Some of the fish that I saw had white spots that may indicate disease. The cold probably made them very susceptible to all kinds of infections," he explains.
Jégu has another hypothesis. He thinks that the burning of farmland around Santa Cruz, a regular part of the farming cycle locally, has occurred at particularly high levels this year. That might have been a contributing factor in the fish deaths, possibly because the smoke added to river pollution.
that depends on many factors though, and due to the amount of dead fish, the predators could recover faster and send the ecosystem out of balance, or it could cause algae blooms which could kill the rivers, anything could happen, but according to the article, there could be more to this than just the cold.
I think they are right about infection TBH. Something was "fishy" excuse the pun because of the very cold blooded nature of fish most species can survive excessive cold, they just go into a type of hibernation. The reptiles on the other hand though I could totally see that being a "cold kill". Overall you're right though, too many factors to predict a final outcome.that depends on many factors though, and due to the amount of dead fish, the predators could recover faster and send the ecosystem out of balance, or it could cause algae blooms which could kill the rivers, anything could happen, but according to the article, there could be more to this than just the cold.
I think they are right about infection TBH. Something was "fishy" excuse the pun because of the very cold blooded nature of fish most species can survive excessive cold, they just go into a type of hibernation. The reptiles on the other hand though I could totally see that being a "cold kill". Overall you're right though, too many factors to predict a final outcome.
It depends on the species too. Tropical fish don't have a very good margin of error where temps are concerned, I think about 10 degrees one way or the other. These particular species are tougher I think but not sure.If it is a cold snap in a usually not cold area, that water flipping will definitely kill a ton of fish.
I see it all the time around here with season change and private ponds.
A cold snap, out of no where, will decimate a private stock pond.
It depends on the species too. Tropical fish don't have a very good margin of error where temps are concerned, I think about 10 degrees one way or the other. These particular species are tougher I think but not sure.
My grandfather has a catfish pond, here in the winter it can get pretty cold.
Usually near or under freezing.
His whole pond was killed off from a cold snap, these guys are even more tolerant of cold than tropical fish are.
Eeesh! It does happen, catfish are pretty tough too. I dunno, that had to be one hell of a swing though and I think the "climate scientists" are taking a huge leap in the AGW direction instead of trying to figure out why the temperature swing happened and if it has cyclical or historical relevance.My grandfather has a catfish pond, here in the winter it can get pretty cold.
Usually near or under freezing.
His whole pond was killed off from a cold snap, these guys are even more tolerant of cold than tropical fish are.
Rivers hold heat better than ponds, when ponds are frozen over river still flow, and while the cold played an undeniable part, it looks like it may have been more than that.
Eeesh! It does happen, catfish are pretty tough too. I dunno, that had to be one hell of a swing though and I think the "climate scientists" are taking a huge leap in the AGW direction instead of trying to figure out why the temperature swing happened and if it has cyclical or historical relevance.
That was my thinking as well. I thought the story read a little too AGWish though. I know I certainly couldn't get paid nearly enough to live or work that close to the poles.It happened 'cause Antarctic weather is a bitch in Winter, I doubt global warming had a part in this.
Even then, the sudden stress is what can cause the deaths or at the very least weaken the bodily defenses of the fish.
So it is true that disease could of landed the finishing blow.
Eeesh! It does happen, catfish are pretty tough too. I dunno, that had to be one hell of a swing though and I think the "climate scientists" are taking a huge leap in the AGW direction instead of trying to figure out why the temperature swing happened and if it has cyclical or historical relevance.
That was my thinking as well. I thought the story read a little too AGWish though. I know I certainly couldn't get paid nearly enough to live or work that close to the poles.
True because it is the destabilisation of the climate that would have in all probability caused this.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?