4.4. POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO WILDLIFE AND PLANTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE The following narrative draws from material in the 2015 Georgia SWAP. Also, a new overarching management objective for Jekyll Island State Park pertaining to climate adaptation has been added to this Plan in Chapter 5. The complex set of consequences related to climate change are referenced in greater detail in Objective A in Chapter 5. These consequences, including warmer temperatures, sea-level rise, greater frequencies of extreme tides and the higher potential for extreme storms are impacting wildlife species, plant communities, and habitats, and these effects are projected to increase substantially over time. The impact of climate change reaches beyond local and state boundaries and affects each species differently. The impacts of climate change do not exist in isolation but combine with and exacerbate existing threats to wildlife and plants. Habitat protection, restoration, and connectivity enhancement can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Range shifts in response to climate change may affect wildlife and plants on Jekyll Island. A warming climate will likely cause the ranges of many species to shift northward, possibly leading to changes in ecological dominance and interactions between longestablished species on the Island and new arrivals. The timing of seasonal events, such as the arrival of migratory birds and the pulses of invertebrate production that supports them, could become asynchronous, leading to reduced bird fitness. Plant species that are reliant on isolated lowland habitats are threatened by sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion/inundation. Climate change is likely to have adverse effects on herpetofauna. Effects on habitat suitability are the most wide ranging, but in the case of most turtle species and the American alligator, species that exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination, warming temperatures may skew sex ratios adversely. The GSTC will continue to monitor the length of incubation for all sea turtle nests, which is significantly correlated with incubation temperature and sex ratio. The Conservation Department will continue to monitor the island’s alligator population. Warming winters and heightened extremes of rainfall and drought could also impair the ability of rattlesnakes to hibernate in winter and affect the availability of their small-mammal prey.
49 WILDLIFE & HABITATS
