Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 204. Several frog and toad species have shifted the timing of spring emergence and calling in southeastern Ontario. In the four decades of observation to date, the northern leopard frog emerges significantly earlier now, by an estimated 22 days. American toads have advanced their start of calling by up to 19 days. This significant shift in breeding behaviour for two species has occurred at the same time as a significant local increase in spring temperatures of an estimated 2.8°C over four decades.8 5. Expansion of the native orchid nodding ladies’ tresses northward since the 1980s has been facilitated by its many small light seeds’ ability to disperse naturally in the wind and more northerly areas becoming available with warming temperatures. The orchid’s native range was traditionally southern Ontario and US parts of the Great Lakes Basin but it is now thriving on the eastern shores of Lake Superior and Algoma Highlands.9 6. Until recently, the risk of Lyme disease, a bacteria spread by some species of ticks, has been restricted to localized areas along the north shore of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River due to temperature limitations. However, as the climate changes, Lyme disease is emerging as a serious health risk in many parts of Ontario. Models suggest that the geographic range of tick species that transmit Lyme disease may expand significantly due to climate change, with a northern expansion of about 200 km projected by the year 2020. This expansion would likely be due to longer growing seasons resulting from warmer temperatures and decreased tick mortality during milder winters.10 8. Garroway,C.,J.Bowman,T.Cascaden,G.Holloway,C.Mahan,J.Malcolm,M.Steele,G.Turner,P.Wilson.2010.Climate Change Induced Hybridization in Flying Squirrels.Global Change Biology.16(1): 113-121.3. Klaus,S.and S.Lougheed. 2013.Changes in breeding phenology of eastern Ontario frogs over four decades.Ecology and Evolution.3(4): 835–845. 9. Catling,P.and Oldham,M.2011.Recent Expansion of Spiranthes cernua (Orchidaceae) into Northern Ontario due to Climate Change? The Canadian Field Naturalist.125:34-40. 10. Nituch,L.and J.Bowman.2013.Community-Level Effects of Climate Change on Ontario’s Terrestrial Biodiversity.Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,Climate Change Resources Report Card-36. 07 Michael Oldham Wasyl Bakowsky