Climate Change: Wild Boar Population Explodes with Warmer Temperatures

First Posted: Aug 13, 2015 08:52 AM EDT

Climate change impacts species all across the planet. Now, though, researchers have found that it may be causing the wild boar population in Europe to positively explode, causing issues for agriculture and other species.

In this latest study, the researchers compared annual wild boar population growth to temperature and precipitation data from twelve European countries, with data being available for up to 150 years in some regions.

So what did they find? There's a clear, sharp increase in the number of wild boards after mild winters. Because mild winters are becoming more common, this would explain why the wild boar population is continuing to grow.

If temperatures are very low, a lot of energy is required in order to maintain a high body temperature. This means that there's less energy available for reproduction and rearing offspring. With mild winters, though, the wild boars don't have to worry as much about survival and can instead focus on reproduction as more piglets survive.

Wild boars also feed on beechnuts and acorns. During mast years, trees that bear these fruits create an abundance of them. This means that there is abundant feed available for the boars. In recent years, these productive years have become increasingly frequent, which means that there is plenty for the boars to eat.

"Wild boards produce a surprisingly large number of young animals compared to other ungulates," said Sebastian Vetter, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This enables the strong growth of populations which we are currently observing. Therefore we are particularly interested in the factors that influence reproduction of this species."

The findings reveal that climate change may be causing the boar population to surge. This is important to note when deciding what conservation measures to take in the future.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

Climate Change: Butterfly Species Face Extinction by 2050 as Droughts Worsen (VIDEO)

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

TagsAnimals, Climate Change, Climate, Animal, population, Temperatures, Temperature, reproduction