Global Warming

Climate Change Affects Fly Fertility

There is increasing evidence that human and wildlife fertility is declining. Although chemicals in our environment have been identified as the main causes, our new research shows that there is another looming threat to animal birth. It’s climate change.

We know that animals can die if the temperature rises too high. However, a new study suggests that some species of male flies can become infertile even at less extreme temperatures.

This means that the distribution of species can be limited by the temperature at which they can reproduce, not the temperature at which they can survive.

Researchers have long known that animal births are sensitive to heat stress.

For example, studies have shown that a 2 ° C increase in temperature dramatically reduces coral sperm bundle production and egg size. And in many beetle and bee species, fertilization success declines sharply at high temperatures. High temperatures have also been shown to affect fertilization and sperm count in cattle, pigs, fish and birds.

Researchers found that 11 of the 43 fly species examined, experienced an 80% loss of fertility immediately after heat stress at temperatures below lethal levels.

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