Too Many Jellies Changing climate isn’t a disaster for every species, though. To see proof, head to the Sea of Japan. T ere, a fishing boat rocks wildly. Something’s stirring in the water below. It’s tugging on the fishermen’s nets. T e men pull the nets as hard as they can. It’s a struggle. T eir nets are heavier than normal. Finally, they manage to haul up the nets.
T ey see their catch. It’s not just fish. T eir nets are bulging with giant orange jellies, too. Each is the size of a small refrigerator! T e jellies wrap their stinging tentacles
around the nets. T eir weight splits the nets. T eir stings kill the fish. T e catch is ruined. T ese jellies don’t belong here. T ey usually
live closer to China. Now, though, the water here has warmed. It’s just right for these jellies. T eir range, or the area where they can live, has gotten bigger. T ese giants aren’t the only jellies spreading
out. So are deadly box jellies in Australia. Mauve stingers in the Mediterranean are multiplying, too. In fact, as many as 2,000 species of jellies have spread to places where the water once was too cold for them.
Beetle Baby Boom Climate change is also helping many beetles spread to new areas. Gardeners in England are finding that out. T ere, a rosemary beetle crawls up a stem. It nibbles the plant to pieces. T en this pest moves on. Nearby, a scarlet lily beetle eats holes into a flower. Like the jellies, these beetles are spreading into new places. T eir ranges are getting bigger. For other beetles, the warm-up is even
better news. In Canada, a swarm of bark beetles land on a pine tree. T eir sharp jaws dig into the tree’s bark. T ey shred the bark. T ey dig holes into the wood and lay eggs. Eventually, all this tunneling and munching will kill the tree. Something’s weird here, though.
Normally, these beetles lay their eggs in August. T eir eggs hatch in the spring. T en a new group of beetles starts munching on the trees. Now, though, it’s only the middle of June.
It’s usually too early and cold for the beetles to lay eggs. Not any more. Now it’s warm enough. It also stays warmer longer. As a result, the beetles can now lay eggs twice a year instead of once. Two batches of baby beetles are born each summer. So in one season, one beetle can lay enough eggs to create 3,600 new beetles!
rosemary beetle
What’s Ahead? Scientists expect Earth to continue warming. No one knows by how much. But as Earth warms, the change will aff ect more and more species. Some will do well. Some will move to new habitats. Some will die. T at’s what today’s predictor species are
telling us. T ey’re sending a warning. T ey’re showing how even a small change can make a big diff erence.
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