{"id":682034,"date":"2025-07-29T14:35:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T11:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/climate-change-has-minor-impact-on-marmots-for-now\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T14:35:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T11:35:16","slug":"climate-change-has-minor-impact-on-marmots-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/climate-change-has-minor-impact-on-marmots-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change has minor impact on marmots for now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f2f45579ec\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f2f45579ec\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/climate-change-has-minor-impact-on-marmots-for-now\/#Habitat_depends_on_multiple_factors\" >Habitat depends on multiple factors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/climate-change-has-minor-impact-on-marmots-for-now\/#Climate_stress_and_rising_treelines_threaten_marmots_habitat\" >Climate stress and rising treelines threaten marmots&#8217; habitat<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/climate-change-has-min.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/climate-change-has-min.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Most marmot families now live around 90 meters higher up than they did in the 1980s. However, the absolute upper limit of 2,700 meters above sea level has not changed. Credit: Michael Zehnder \/ SLF\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/climate-change-has-min.jpg\" alt=\"Climate change has minor impact on marmots for now\" title=\"Most marmot families now live around 90 meters higher up than they did in the 1980s. However, the absolute upper limit of 2,700 meters above sea level has not changed. Credit: Michael Zehnder \/ SLF\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Most marmot families now live around 90 meters higher up than they did in the 1980s. However, the absolute upper limit of 2,700 meters above sea level has not changed. Credit: Michael Zehnder \/ SLF<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Climate change is causing marmots to move, but not far, according to a recent study by SLF biologist Anne Kempel. She investigated the altitude at which most marmots currently live and compared her findings with data from 1982. Her assumption was that the animals were moving to higher altitudes because of the warmer temperatures caused by climate change. &#8220;But that&#8217;s only partly true,&#8221; says the researcher.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the majority of the animal families she observed in the Dischma Valley near Davos live about 86 meters higher than they did 42 years ago, at around 2,500 meters above sea level. Kempel concludes that the conditions there are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently ideal for marmots. &#8220;But the absolute upper limit hasn&#8217;t shifted,&#8221; she explains. This limit is 2,700 meters above sea level, as was already the case in 1982. The findings are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/ece3.71777\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in <i>Ecology and Evolution<\/i>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Habitat_depends_on_multiple_factors\"><\/span>Habitat depends on multiple factors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Other factors probably play a more important role than warmer temperatures,&#8221; notes Kempel. Too high up, the animals would not find any soil in which to dig their extensive burrows. In addition, during hibernation they need as thick a snowpack as possible to insulate the ground from the cold. &#8220;We find most of these conditions exactly where most groups now live,&#8221; says the biologist.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, plants containing linoleic acid are an important part of this animal&#8217;s diet. This unsaturated fatty acid regulates body temperature in winter. &#8220;These plants may have shifted their range slightly upwards,&#8221; Kempel suspects.<\/p>\n<p>Kempel and her team adopted the same methods as their predecessors in 1982. For one to two hours at a time, they observed 25 areas on the slopes of the Dischma Valley using telescopes and binoculars and counted the marmots they saw. Statistical computer models then extrapolated the probable population, leading to the surprising conclusion.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Climate_stress_and_rising_treelines_threaten_marmots_habitat\"><\/span>Climate stress and rising treelines threaten marmots&#8217; habitat<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>However, their observations only apply to the Davos region and possibly similar areas. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have historical data for other locations,&#8221; says Kempel. In lower parts of the Alps, conditions could become difficult for the animals, as they suffer from heat stress at temperatures above 25\u00b0C. They then retreat to their burrows for long periods during the day and so eat less fat for the winter\u2014with fatal consequences in the cold season.<\/p>\n<p>In the long term, this could also become a problem at higher altitudes, as it is getting warmer there too. &#8220;But the Dischma Valley still only sees an average of six days per year with temperatures above 25\u00b0, which is too few to have a negative impact,&#8221; Kempel reassures us.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, there is already less space, given that the treeline is slowly but steadily shifting upwards. &#8220;Marmots prefer open habitats. They aren&#8217;t suited to living in forests, and since they aren&#8217;t moving further up into the mountains, their habitat is shrinking,&#8221; explains Kempel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMiriam Simma et al, Shifting Heights? A 40\u2010Year Resurvey of Alpine Marmot Distribution in Response to Climate Change, <i>Ecology and Evolution<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/ece3.71777\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1002\/ece3.71777<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsl.ch\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClimate change has minor impact on marmots for now (2025, July 29)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 29 July 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-07-climate-minor-impact-marmots.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-07-climate-minor-impact-marmots.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most marmot families now live around 90 meters higher up than they did in the 1980s. However, the absolute upper limit of 2,700 meters above sea level has not changed. Credit: Michael Zehnder \/ SLF Climate change is causing marmots to move, but not far, according to a recent study by SLF biologist Anne Kempel&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":682035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/climate-change-has-min.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-682034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/682035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}