International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 187-195 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 1 89 3 Mechanisms of Climate Change Impact on Snake Habitat Selection 3.1 Rising temperatures and microhabitat use As the planet gets warmer, many snakes are changing where they live. They now often avoid open, sunny places and prefer cooler spots with shade or thicker plants. This change becomes more obvious during hotter months. Take the western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) in Missouri as an example. In spring, it likes to stay in sunny areas. But when summer comes, it moves into forests with tall trees, where it can better control body temperature and still find food (Figure 1) (George et al., 2017). Figure 1 Western ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) are a widespread predator of birds and small mammals in eastern North America (Adopted from George et al., 2017) Image caption: Predation by western ratsnakes has previously been linked to global climate change and habitat fragmentation (Adopted from George et al., 2017) The latest research in Taiwan provides direct evidence. Monitoring records show that the annual activity period of various snakes in the local area is lengthening. After the winter warms up, the hibernation time of some populations is shortened; In hotter years, the activity period is significantly longer (Liu, 2025). Based on this inference, activity rhythms and movement patterns are being reshaped, and daily habits and natural life cycles may also be disrupted. In extremely hot areas, snakes avoid moving during daytime. They hide in shade to stay cool. This makes their active time shorter, so they may eat and breed less often (George et al., 2017; Liu, 2025). Some snakes are moving to cooler places to escape the heat - either going up mountains or northward. In Taiwan, snakes have already started moving to higher ground (Liu, 2025). 3.2 Altered rainfall patterns and shrinking humid zones The rainfall pattern has been rewritten, and moist habitats are becoming increasingly scarce. Rainforest snakes are the first to bear the brunt. Research shows that about 65% of spawning grounds in the forests along Brazil's Atlantic coast may disappear; The oviparous group has the highest risk, as embryos require moist soil and continuous moisture for development (Lourenço-De-Moraes et al., 2019). Similar signals were observed in the dry forest of Granchaco, where the number and diversity of snakes decreased synchronously (Cabral et al., 2024). For species with weak long-distance dispersal ability or strong dependence on specific microhabitats, the threat is more direct. Reduced rainfall sets off a chain reaction. With less water, prey numbers drop, and the food chain tightens (Jesus et al., 2023). Suitable space keeps shrinking. Different species crowd into small areas, so competition jumps. When wetlands dry, snakes gather in the few that remain. Space compresses further, and populations fall. Computer estimates suggest that only about 30% of snakes in the Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco regions may still
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