Bark beetles, monarch butterflies and other insects are already changing where they live as Southern Oregon warms, according to climate scientist Alan Journet. He says those shifts are reshaping the region's forests and ecosystems.
During a presentation at the Medford Public Library, Journet will explain how rising temperatures are changing where insects can survive and what those changes mean for Southern Oregon. He points to bark beetles, which are thriving in warmer winters, and monarch butterflies, whose migration is being disrupted by changing seasonal temperatures.
"It's just a general range shift that these organisms are exhibiting because the climate is shifting, because we're warming," Journet said.
Journet says insects rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature, making them especially sensitive to a warming climate.
He points to bark beetles in the Applegate Valley as one example. Warmer winters allow more larvae to survive, while drought- and heat-stressed trees become more vulnerable to infestation.
"As our winters are warming, more and more of the bark beetle larvae are surviving over winter," Journet said. "So, not only is the temperature warmer, so their development rate speeds up, but now the trees are nutritionally much more beneficial."
Journet also says monarch butterflies are being affected. Warmer autumns can delay their migration south, increasing the risk they will encounter freezing temperatures before reaching their winter habitat.
"The butterflies are not getting the cue to go south until later than it used to be the case," Journet said.
Journet argues that human-caused climate change is driving these ecological changes and says reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to protecting forests, pollinators and other species.
Guest
- Alan Journet, co-facilitator, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN)
