Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Global Climate Change And Invariable Photoperiods: A Mismatch That Jeopardizes Animal Fitness, William H. Walker Ii, Olga Hecmarie Meléndez‐Fernández, Randy J. Nelson, Russel J. Reiter

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The Earth's surface temperature is rising, and precipitation patterns throughout the Earth are changing; the source of these shifts is likely anthropogenic in nature. Alterations in temperature and precipitation have obvious direct and indirect ef‐ fects on both plants and animals. Notably, changes in temperature and precipita‐ tion alone can have both advantageous and detrimental consequences depending on the species. Typically, production of offspring is timed to coincide with optimal food availability; thus, individuals of many species display annual rhythms of reproductive function. Because it requires substantial time to establish or re‐establish reproduc‐ tive function, individuals cannot depend on the …