effects of climate change ion the diversity of plants and animals

effects of climate change ion the diversity of plants and animals

Introduction

Climate change is considered a global threat to biodiversity and the natural ecosystem. Over the last century, the average global temperatures have gone up by 0.7 degrees Celsius and are being predicted that it will continue to see a rise in the future. The ever increasing temperatures which are associated with the change in the climatic condition has seen various diversity of plants and animals getting lost. Africa, for example, is the wealthiest continent in the biodiversity. It is estimated that the continent contains more than one-fifth of the global species of plants and animals (Chapin et al., 2012). The continents specific composes of the world’s diverse ad biological importance ecosystem such as the tropical forest, savanna, tropical forest, and the coral reefs, among others. However, the various human activities such as industrialization, farming, irrigation and urbanization have been considered as the key drivers of the global climate change and the reason behind the loss in the diversity of plans and animal. This report examines some of the effects of climate change ion the diversity of plants and animals (Hurtt, 2015).

The effects of climate change on biodiversity is far stretched. Fragment species of plants and animals in the different parts of the world are under pressure from pollution and deforestation and are becoming more vulnerable to climate change.  For example, which is experienced in various places around the globe as a result of ever-changing climatic conditions is the leading cause of diversity loss. As global warming increases, these fires are likely to become more intense and extensive in nature. They may result in the significant changes in the ecosystems that would affect biodiversity through the loss or alteration of the specifies composition. The direct effects include those arising from the increasing temperatures and the growing level of carbon dioxide, which are often associated with global climate change. The immediate results in the various potential effects such as the hydrologic cycles and the increased extent of extreme weather events and frequent fires that do destroy the ecosystem. The multiple changes can affect biodiversity in various ways, such as altering the life cycles, shifting the changes in biodiversity in many possible ways. Besides, climatic change often results in the distribution of the changes in abundances, changes in migration patterns, and changes in the frequency and severity of pest and disease outbreaks.

In other areas, the effects of climate change do result in the alteration and loss of suitable climatic condition which supports different biodiversity. Corals in many tropical regions are do experiencing substantial death and injury from increasing water temperatures and increasing the intensity of a storm. The change in the climatic condition which in the various pars of the world is considered the leading cause of the changes in the biodiversity populations. For example in the element of distribution in the different parts of the world has resulted in a scenario where some species which cannot survive on deserts has resulted in the death, and the gradual extinction of the various animal and plants specifies (Chapin et al., 2012).

As humans activities, particularly agriculture and the element of settlements and industrial development, have increased in the last few centuries and natural vegetation. Such businesses do result in the changes in the climate conditions, which do leave other essential plants and animal species vulnerable to death and later disappearance of the species of plants and animals.  The habitats reduction as a result and fragmentations do poses a problem because it works to limit the ability of the many species to migrate to areas with favorable conditions (Chapin et al., 2012). Specific to the various places such as mountain tops. Islands and the peninsulas are the most exposed to the element of existing caused by the climate change because these animals and plants species have relatively narrower habits, and alterations of these habitats leave them with no other habitats (Hurtt, 2015).

The species with restricted climate envelopes, small populations, and the laminated ability to migrate are likely to suffer in the face of global climate change. An estimated that over 25%, if specific such as the Australian Eucalypts, for instance, have distribution spanning areas where the average temperature does vary less than 1 degree Celsius. Even a relatively smaller change in the average temperatures will shift the climatic envelopes of such specific outside the currents distribution. The modeling on the impact of climate change reveals that by 2017 the critical particular of animals and plans in most of the global protected areas will encounter novel climatic conditions that have to be experienced in the past. This is likely to result in most species of plants and animals being extinct (Morecroft et al., 2014).

The climate change has several consequences on the biophysical environment; several changes have so far been reported in the species distribution. The world still has many gaps in the knowledge of the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Generally, species have so far expanded their ranges upward in altitude and poleward in latitude. According to Pawson et al., 2013, there is evidence of contraction in species distribution is imperfect, the populations of various species have intensely declined, and the climate change is much understood to have added to the decline, attributing this is tense with difficulty as it is supposed to be the one driver among many (Pawson et al.,2013). However, biodiversity and ecosystem changes services due to the change in climate are not all adverse, because some species have thrived and adapted so far.

Several species are likely to be affected physiologically by the change in climate; this is evidence that some of the species are vulnerable physiologically to the temperature spikes. The changes witnessed in the ecosystems as a result of changes in climate are going to have significant and generally negative cultural, social, and economic consequences (Oliver et al., 2014). Modeling studies on the possible effect of the changes in climate on the species have indicated poleward shifts and altitude changes, range growths, or shrinkages validating the present evidence for the most part. These studies have just highlighted the unusual nature of species’ responses to the changes in climate, which is likely to have a significant impact on the future structure of the ecosystems (Morecroft et al., 2014).

Many insects and birds are showing several changes like the earlier of migration, breeding and egg laying; there are also some changes in the distribution in terms of the ecosystem like the expansion of the desert ecosystems.  According to Jantz et al., 2015, humans are still uncertain about the magnitude and speed at which the changes in climate are going to impact biodiversity and the ecosystem services. For instance, the predicted changes in the intensity, frequency, and degree of turbulence like fire, famine, and drought, cyclone, and flood will somehow place the present vegetation under high stress and favor species able to quickly colonize uncovered areas (Oliver et al., 2014). This would mean the spread of the strange ‘weed’ species and critical variations in the abundance and dispersal of several native species.

Species loss could significantly reduce the ability of ecosystem services, especially if the environmental conditions are rapidly changing at the same time. Dynamic, mechanistic, and population models are some of the modeling tools that have been so far used to evaluate future effects and vulnerability of both the ecosystems and species (Staudinger et al., 2012). The once-popular plant communities have been severely reduced in size and damaged into smaller bits due to climate change. This habitat fragmentation and reduction poses a significant problem as it confines the ability of numerous species to transfer to those areas with favorable and promising conditions. The species found on mountain tops, peninsulas, and islands will have a related problem (Jantz et al., 2015).  It is possible that as the changes in climate take place and species get eliminated from some areas the world will witness changes in some ecosystem functions or services; this could mean excellent land degradation, agricultural productivity changes and mass reduction in the quality of water supplied to human populations (Staudinger et al., 2012). Societies will, therefore, have some years to slowly adapt and familiarize their management of biodiversity as conditions continue to change (Morecroft et al., 2014).

Conclusion

The global statistics indicate that over 1000 species of animals and plants do get exits every year as a result of the effects of climate change. With the factors that result in the climates ever-changing and increasing, the significant global biodiversity is on the verge of becoming extinct by 2050. The effects of climate change on global diversity is on the rise and human activities such as agriculture, industrialization and urbanization among others is to blame for this.  There is a need for change in the critical events of humans to increase environmental suitability and reduce the impact of the climatic change on global biodiversity. Essential ensure needed to be put in place to minimize the effects of the climate change on global biodiversity, such included reduced carbon dioxide production, lowered rate of the population through proper waste management, and productive agriculture and urbanization practices.

References

Pawson, S. M., Brin, A., Brockerhoff, E. G., Lamb, D., Payn, T. W., Paquette, A., & Parrotta, J. A. (2013). Plantation forests, climate change, and biodiversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 22(5), 1203-1227.

Oliver, T. H., & Morecroft, M. D. (2014). Interactions between climate change and land-use change on biodiversity: attribution problems, risks, and opportunities. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 5(3), 317-335.

Staudinger, M. D., Grimm, N. B., Staudt, A., Carter, S. L., & Chapin, F. S. (2012). Impacts of climate change on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. United States Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC.

Jantz, S. M., Barker, B., Brooks, T. M., Chini, L. P., Huang, Q., Moore, R. M., … & Hurtt, G. C. (2015). Future habitat loss and extinctions drove by land‐use change in biodiversity hotspots under four scenarios of climate‐change mitigation. Conservation Biology, 29(4), 1122-1131.