Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
The loss of biodiversity of birds and mammals from human-induced climate change has reduced the ability of plants to spread their seeds via animals, according to a new study.
Published in Science earlier this month, the study uses data from more than 400 networks of seed dispersal interactions between plants, birds and mammals to track the changes being seen by declines in animal populations due to climate change.
Half of all plant species rely on animals to disperse their seeds, either through their feces or hitching a ride on feathers, wings and fur, and seed dispersal networks lost or created in new ways to make up for biodiversity loss can influence how plants can adapt to climate change through migration, the study states.
The American and Dutch researchers estimate that mammal and bird losses have reduced the capacity of plants to adapt to climate change by 60 per cent across the globe.
“We’re losing animals, but we’re also losing what those animals are doing with their ecosystems,” lead study author Evan Fricke said. “When we lose those seed dispersers, we lose these … relationships between plants and animals that support how these ecosystems are functioning.”
In order to map the seed dispersal systems, researchers used machine learning and data from thousands of field studies to map how seeds are distributed by birds and animals all over the world.
To better understand how those networks are in decline, the study then compared maps of seed dispersal networks today with maps showing what dispersal networks would look like without human-caused extinction events or restrictions on how far species can range, according to a news release.
"Some plants live hundreds of years, and their only chance to move is during the short period when they're a seed moving across the landscape," said Fricke in the release. "If there are no animals available to eat their fruits or carry away their nuts, animal-dispersed plants aren't moving very far."
The study found some regions where seed dispersal networks declined by 95 per cent, and that the most severe losses were in temperate regions across North America, Europe, South America and Australia.
If endangered species go extinct, tropical regions in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia would be most affected.
But Canada isn’t immune either.
“Blueberries and salmon berries, all the things you can think about in the understory, those rely on mammals and birds,” said University of British Columbia botany professor Amy Angert to CTV National News. “Climate change is shifting where those suitable habitats are…and that means that plans will need to move really fast and far to keep up with that.”
With files from The Associated Press
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
A protest encampment set up on the University of Alberta campus was cleared early Saturday morning by Edmonton police.
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.