Of mice and men? Change in rodents linked to climate change, McGill research shows

Milder winters appear to have resulted in physical changes in two species of mice in southern Quebec, in what the lead researcherfromMcGillUniversity says is "very likely" an example of the consequences of climate change.

For the past decade, biologistVirginieMillienhas been studying twospecies the white-footed mouse and the deer mouse in Mont Saint-Hilaire atMcGill'sGaultNature Reserve, about 40 kilometres east of Montreal.

By comparing theirown research todata collected as far back as the1950s,Millien and herteam discovered that the skull shapes of both mouse species have changed over time.

"This is a real-life experiment," saidMillien, whose work was published recently in the journal Evolutionary Ecology.

The changes were more pronounced in the white-footed mouse, but in both cases the cranial shapes of the two species have become more distinct.

The white-footed mouse which is a carrier oflyme disease has also been moving farther north as winters get milder,at a rate of around 11 kilometres a year, the researchers estimate.

Milliensaid thechanges may be related to a dietary shift caused by climate change, combined with competition for food resources between the two species of mice.

Changes in mice linked to climate change

7 years ago

Duration 0:36

A McGill biologist says changes in mice in Quebec may be linked to climate change.

One questionthat remains, she said, is whether the changes are geneticand will be passed on to future generations (evolution) or whether they represent what's known as "plasticity," defined asthe capacity of some species to adjust to rapid environmental change.

Milliensaid the findings add to a small but growing body of research documenting cases of rapid response by wildlife to climate change.

Mice are an ideal subject, she said, given their quick regeneration rate. But humans are also likely to changein response to climate change, she said.

"There's no reason why we should not evolve," she said.