Impact of Climate Change on Wildlife
全球气候变化对野生动物的影响

There is little doubt that the global climate is experiencing exceptional changes. The rate of warming during the 20 th century was the greatest in the last 1000 years, with the 1990s being the warmest decade. And there is already clear evidence to show that wildlife from poles to tropics is being affected by climate change. In this approach the habitat, population distribution range, phenology and reproductive behavior of wildlife were mainly considered. First, the habitats in different region changed in different ways response to the warmer climate. For most species the habitat became less suitable with the uneven precipitation in tropical region, higher temperature in polar region, drying in wetland and the upgrade of the sea level. On the other hand, extreme climate events, which take great effect on wildlife, incline with the increasing temperature. An exception is the temperate region in which the wildlife benefits from the warmer climate with the expectation of a larger suitable range to accommodate. Answering to the changing climate and habitat, the population of wildlife dynamics on size and distribution aspects, as a whole the distribution range shift northward in latitude and upgrade in altitude. For the species live or spend crucial period of life history in sensitive region, such as Arctic, Antarctic, wetland, marine and coastal areas, the disappearing habitat means a smaller size population in the end can maintain. Second, long-term datasets indicate that climate change have impacted inside mechanism of wildlife. Biological events, for example, reproductivity were detected changed. The results varied from species to species. Some species, e.g. the Caribou, may benefit from climate warming, with the northern latitudes and more vegetation to use. Wherever, it is also predicted that some species may inevitably suffer from extinction even if the environment can support a larger population owing to the inside mechanism can not adapt to the changing environment. Third, the frequent dynamics of populations result in frequent dissolution and reform of communities. The relationships between the members become slack. However, research work on large scale, such as community and ecosystem, were weak. Ecosystems are characterized by inherently complex relationships and feedbacks, which are further complicated when climate change scenarios are superimposed. Furthermore, the future management of wildlife, ecosystems, protected sites and reserves, and the formulation of associated policies, requires the development of a predictive capability which can deliver scenarios for change. Therefore, conservationists and environmental planners must be careful when making decisions about wildlife management in the context of global climate conditions.