China News Service, November 15 According to a report by Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao on the 15th, data show that in October, the area of ​​trees felled in the Amazon rainforest reached a new high.

The latest research has also found that even in the most primitive areas of the Amazon that humans have not yet set foot in, the birds in the rainforest are getting smaller and longer and their wings are getting longer due to the impact of climate change.

　　A few days ago, according to data released by the Brazilian National Institute of Space Research, the number of trees felled in the Amazon rainforest in October amounted to 877 square kilometers, which is equivalent to more than half the area of ​​Rio de Janeiro.

This is an increase of 5% over the same period in 2020 and is also the highest since the agency began recording logging in 2016.

Data map: A fire broke out in the Amazon Rainforest Reserve south of New Preso, Para, Brazil.

　　According to the report, in 2020, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon will increase sharply, mainly due to mining and agricultural activities.

The logging situation in 2021 may be even worse.

　　A study published in Science Advances pointed out that even the most primitive areas of the Amazon are affected by climate change.

　　Over the past 40 years, the hotter and drier environment of the Amazon rainforest has affected the diet and physiology of birds, making them smaller and smaller and their wings longer and longer.

　　The report’s lead author and ecologist at the Holistic Ecological Research Center Girinitch said: “For me, the biggest key is that this happens in the world’s largest rainforest center, away from the direct interference of humans such as deforestation... This is worth thinking about. of."

　　Over the past 40 years, Girinitch and others have analyzed the data of more than 15,000 birds that were captured, weighed, and marked, and found that since the 1980s, almost all birds have lost weight.

　　The weight of most birds loses an average of 2% every 10 years, that is, birds that weighed 30 grams in the 1980s now weigh an average of 27.6 grams.

Data map: Snettisham, Norfolk, UK. Seabirds fly in groups in the sky.

Image source: Sipaphoto copyright works are prohibited from reprinting

　　The report pointed out that these data are not collected from specific locations, but from rainforests in a wide area, which means that this phenomenon is widespread.

　　The research team hypothesized that this is the adaptation of birds to the environment such as fruits and insects, as well as thermal stress.

　　Girinitch said, “Small size is good in a warmer climate and can help them cool down better, but longer wings are more difficult to explain, so we put forward the hypothesis of wing loading.”

　　Researchers pointed out that longer wings and smaller body-to-wing ratios allow birds to use less energy to achieve more efficient flight.

　　Researchers believe that similar adjustments not only happen to birds, but other species around the world may also face the same pressure.