IT WAS a disastrous day for flying foxes. On 12 January 2002, at least 3500 of these fruit bats dropped dead from heat exhaustion as temperatures along Australia鈥檚 eastern coast rose to almost 43 掳C, some 14 掳C higher than normal for that time of year.
Stefan Klose of the University of Ulm in Germany and colleagues have been analysing the effects of extreme temperatures and the threat they pose to species survival. They conclude that if warming continues unabated, grey-headed flying foxes and black flying foxes face extinction 鈥渢his century鈥� (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, ).
鈥淚t is a striking experience to see the effects of climate change right in front of you, in the form of a dying vertebrate falling from a tree, along with thousands of others,鈥� he says. The disappearance of the fruit bat would have serious knock-on effects, as they are key pollinators and seed dispersers. The impact on their survival prospects is all the worse because females and young were most seriously affected, the team found.
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Klose warns that smaller, less conspicuous animals may have been dying without anyone noticing. 鈥淣ot all vertebrates fall from trees when they die in heatwaves,鈥� he says.
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