Effects of Climate Change on Animal Dispersal

Behaviors
Directions: Once you have picked your species, complete Part I, Part II, and Part III. After completing ll
three parts, answer the analysis questions.
Part I: Completing research
Following the directions to explore data on Neotoma Database
1.

Go to Neotoma Database: http://www.neotomadb.org/

2.

Select Explorer at bottom left under the Home button

3.

Move and enlarge the North American Map with sliding scale at upper left

4.

Select the ice/ lakes (white polygon at top).

5.

In the drop down menu select 20,500 yr BP (before present)

6.

Click the arrow button below drop down menu labeled animate from oldest to youngest

7.

Watch animation from 20,500 yr BP to 4,500 yr BP, then pause animation.

8.

Select modern distribution (red polygon at top) and enter species scientific name

9.

Answer the following questions before Part II:

1.

Is your species live alone but is not territorial, are they territorial, or do they live in groups? (Only
one)
Cryptotis parva (Least Shrew) live in groups of colonies. They usually live in groups with about
31 of them.

2.

What type of distribution does your species have based on answer from previous questions?
They are distributed in clumps since they are living together.

3.

What type of habitat does this organism live in?

They live in nests located inside the tunnels. This is actually the reason why they live together.
They have to help each other dig tunnels which are about 24.5 to 150cm long. Their nests are
made from parts of plants which are things such as leaves and grasses. Furthermore, they have two
or more opening to enter into the tunnel.

Part II: Creating a Hypothesis

10. Create hypothesis: Using the information about your species and the changing climate, create a hypothesis
about where your species lived 15,000 to 20,000 years ago.
1.

Example Hypothesis: If the climate is colder from 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, then Myodes
gapperi should occur farther to the: south, north, east, or west (select one and test hypothesis)
because _______________________.

If the climate is colder from 15,000 to 20.000 years ago, then Cryptotis parva should occur farther to
the south because they like living in temperate, tropical, or terrestrial regions which are probably
located to the south.


Part III: Testing Hypothesis
11. Open search form (binoculars) at top left and enter species name
12. List dates of 20,000 to 15,000 and hit SEARCH

Analysis Questions: In pairs, answer the following questions in complete sentence.

1.

Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not? (Cite at least one fact from the results of your research that
does or doesnt support your hypothesis)
Our hypothesis is correct, but it is not quite complete and detailed. The Cryptotis parva is located in the
eastern part of the United States. Their range are from Florida to New York and they reach as far to the
west to Texas and South Dakota.
Bibliography is on the bottom of this document.

2.

What effect did climate change have on your species dispersal behavior?
They had shifted a bit to the western side. This is because some parts of the climate has changed and they
some of them might have to move due to the conditions of the weather.

3.

What were some other factors that may have effected dispersal behavior?
Another factor that might effected the dispersal behavior would be reasons like increasing their range,
decreasing competition, moving away from bad conditions, and others.

4.

Recall the reasons for dispersal behavior. Name and explain at least two reasons from lecture that is
displayed in your species.
1.

5.

6.

The animals might disperse to decrease competition between one another. Since there might be a
lot of them around other places, moving to a different place might be a good idea for them to not
compete with one another.
2. They might also want to gain new resources since their population might be a lot and by doing this
it helps them survive better.
3. They might also want to increase their range. They might need to disperse to survive and if the
move to a different location from their parents, this might help their species remain to survive
easily.
Bonus Question: Create hypothesis stating how distribution has changed 1,000 and 4,000 years ago. Test
your hypothesis by repeating steps 11 and 12 from Part III. Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?
If the climate is hotter, then the Cryptotis parva would move up to the north because they would need the
same weather conditions to survive and the place that they used to live in would be too hot for them to
survive.
Did the results from question 5 differ from your expectations?
No it did not differ from my expectations, they all shifted a bit up to the north. However, a very small
amount of the species did not move up to the north, but a bit to the right.

Bibliography
A range extension for the least shrew (Cryptotis parva) in west-central Texas. (n.d.). (C. L. Gale,
Producer) Retrieved November 13, 2016, from FPO: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/TexasJournal-Science/128667030.html
Brecht, D. L. (n.d.). Cryptotis parva. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from
http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Vertebrata/Mammalia/Soricidae/Cryptotis/parva/
Cryptotis parva least shrew. (n.d.). (U. o. Foundation, Producer) Retrieved November 13, 2016 , from
Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cryptotis_parva/
Geluso, Keith; White, Jeremy A.; and Bogen, Michael A., "Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva ) in Extreme
West-Central Nebraska" (2004). Biology Faculty Publications. Paper 55.
h p://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/biofacpub/55
Least Shrew. (n.d.). (The Regents of the University of Michigan ) Retrieved November 13, 2016, from
Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species: http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Cryptotis_parva/