Impact of climate change on the reproduction, distribution and abundance of herpetofauna: A review of Literature

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review and assess published literature on the impact of climate change on herpetofauna. A systematic approach was used to accumulate research works of literature on “Impact of climate change on herpetofauna.” A total of forty (40) research papers published between the years 1930 to 2023 were accessed and used for this review. Tables were used to present all results. A subjective approach was used to select the topics: impact of climate change and herpetofauna. In this paper, nine (9) detrimental impacts of climate change were assessed and presented; four (4) which are specific to reptiles and five (5) which are specific to amphibians. The published papers established that extreme weather conditions, such as high temperature, heavy precipitation, synergistic vulnerabilities, ultraviolet radiation and repercussions of ectotherm metabolic rate all contribute to the global climate change that are affecting the reproduction, distribution and abundance of herpetofauna. This review highlights the fact that more extensive studies on the impact of climate change on herpetofauna should be done in neotropical countries since there is a paucity of such information on research and published data in these biodiversity rich regions.