Your Classroom Participation Should Include Discussion About

Your Classroom Participation Should Include Discussion About The Follo

Reflect back on the lessons from this session. In Unit 1, you looked at ecosystems and considered what would happen if even one key component were impacted by disturbance. In Unit 2, you compared living conditions, the spread of disease, and the availability of food in developing and developed countries. In Unit 3, you looked at the contribution of burning fossil fuels to greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. Then in Unit 4, you considered the issues surrounding air pollution, among others.

All of these topics relate to the disturbances and predicted impacts of global climate change. For this discussion, you will consider the effect of a changing climate on one of the topics listed below. Use this article as your starting point: Effects of Global Warming. Recommended: Click on the following links to review materials to enhance your knowledge of ecosystems, disturbance, and recovery: National Climate Assessment, The Consequences of Climate Change. Choose only 1 aspect of the environment that is impacted by climate change (from the 3 listed below), and answer the questions associated with the topic you chose.

Paper For Above instruction

Species Extinction and Habitat Loss

Climate change exerts profound effects on vulnerable species and their habitats. Rising global temperatures lead to altered climate zones, which create inhospitable conditions for many species, especially those with limited geographic ranges or specialized habitat requirements. For example, polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting and breeding; as ice diminishes due to rising temperatures, they face starvation and eventual extinction. Similarly, coral reefs, which support a vast diversity of marine life, are experiencing widespread bleaching and mortality due to increased ocean temperatures and acidification (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2018). These changes threaten the survival of numerous species that depend on specific habitats, leading to a decrease in biodiversity.

The spread of invasive species is also facilitated by climate change. As temperatures increase, some species can expand their ranges into new areas, often outcompeting native species. For example, warmer temperatures allow insect pests, like the mountain pine beetle, to survive at higher altitudes, devastating forests that were previously protected by colder climates (Bentz et al., 2010). This invasion further destabilizes ecosystems, disrupting food webs and reducing native biodiversity.

These transformations significantly affect food webs. The decline or extinction of key species can cause cascading effects throughout ecosystems. For instance, the loss of apex predators can lead to overpopulation of certain prey species, which may then overconsume primary producers, such as plants or phytoplankton. This trophic imbalance leads to reduced resilience and altered ecosystem functions (Duffy et al., 2016). Additionally, invasive species may introduce new pathogens or compete with native species for resources, further destabilizing established food webs.

In summary, climate change threatens the survival of vulnerable species and their habitats, promotes invasive species, and causes significant disruptions to food webs. The loss of biodiversity and altered interactions among species compromise ecosystem stability and resilience, emphasizing the urgent need for mitigation and conservation efforts to protect these vital systems from the ongoing impacts of global warming.

References

• Bentz, B. J., Régnière, J., Hicke, J. A., et al. (2010). Climate Change and Forest Insect Damage. BioScience, 60(10), 753–764.
• Duffy, J. E., Blanchard, J., Estes, J. A., et al. (2016). Trophic Complexity Induces Variation in Ecosystem Responses to Global Change. Nature, 536(7617), 66–70.
• Hoegh-Guldberg, O., et al. (2018). Coral Reefs Under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification. Science, 359(6371), 1139–1143.