How Climate Change Affects Species

Although it may not seem like climate change is affecting ecosystems and the species that live there very much, certain species actually experience very drastic and negative affects from climate change. Climate change causes increases in temperature, rising sea levels, longer droughts, and more wildfires, making it harder for many species to live in their natural habitat. Species that can’t adapt to the effects of climate change will be forced to move to another ecosystem with better conditions and may even go extinct if they can’t find a better place to go. Polar bears, pikas, Joshua Trees, and tigers are some of the species that are most affected by climate change.

Polar bears live in arctic environments near Earth’s poles, where the weather is the coldest. However, as the climate is increasing, glaciers are melting and the icy ground is turning into water. This is slowly diminishing arctic ecosystems which is decreasing the range of where a polar bear can live. If the climate continues to rise, arctic environments may disappear completely which would have drastic affects on polar bears. According to Pope (2021), scientists have estimated that unless we do more to mitigate climate change, “most polar bear subpopulations, but not all, could be gone by 2100.” Polar bears rely heavily on their icy environment for almost all of their normal activities like hunting, sleeping, denning, mating, and traveling. Without ice, polar bears will have to adapt to a new ecosystem and if this isn’t possible, they will go extinct.

Another species that is affected by climate change is Pikas. Pikas are small mammals that live on mountains and are commonly found in Asia and North America. Some pikas used to live on the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges but because of climate change, they have been completely extirpated from this area. According to American Pika (2017), researchers searched for Pikas on the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges from 2011-2016 and, “found old pika fecal pellets buried in sediment in nearly every patch of habitat…but the animals themselves were conspicuously absent.” Pikas generate high amounts of heat so they need to live in cold climates in order to survive. The top of the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges provided a cool enough environment to support the population of Pikas. However, as the climate increased, they started to migrate higher and higher up the mountains looking for cooler conditions and when they eventually reached the top of the mountain, there was no where left to go. So, Pikas left the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges and looked for a suitable habitat elsewhere. As climate change continues, Pikas may become extinct because they will be forced out of the mountain ranges they live in to find a colder climate that suits their needs.

A third species that is affected by climate change is Joshua Trees. Primarily found in Joshua Tree National Park, they live in hot, dry, desert-like conditions. Although Joshua Trees have adapted to survive in this climate, they are slowly dying because of climate change. Climate change warms the desert-climate even more and creates longer periods of drought which is very harmful for Joshua Trees. According to Climate Change (n.d), “at lower, warmer elevations, fewer seedlings are sprouting, growing, and surviving.” From the same site, research predicts that by 2099, climate change could, “eliminate nearly all suitable habitat for Joshua Trees in the park and reduce habitat in the Southwest by 90 percent.” Unlike animal species, Joshua Trees are unable to move to a new location, so they are forced to endure the conditions of one specific area for their entire lifetime, making their extinction even more likely.

Tigers, especially the Bengal, Sumatran, and Siberian, also have been and still are affected by climate change. According to Duran (2017), “97% of the world’s tiger population has vanished leaving only 3,900 individuals left in the wild in 2017.” Already an endangered species, tigers have more problems to face with climate change on the rise. In the mangrove forests of India and Bangladesh, climate change is causing salt water levels to rise up to the height of the tiger’s drinking water, mixing the salt water and fresh water together. Tigers are forced to find a new source of drinking water because they are unable to drink their now-polluted water. Additionally, in Siberia, climate change is causing more wildfires to occur in the temperate forests where many tigers live. As more trees burn from wildfires, the habitat of tigers and their source of food slowly diminishes. If climate change is not mitigated, tigers may become extinct in certain areas that are most affected by it such as India, Bangladesh, and Siberia.

Works Cited

American pika disappears from large area of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. UC Santa Cruz News. (2017, August 30). Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://news.ucsc.edu/2017/08/pika-extinction.html.

Duran, L. (2017, July 19). 4 ways climate change is making life harder for Tigers. Conservation International. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://www.conservation.org/blog/4-ways-climate-change-is-making-life-harder-for-tigers.

Pope, K. (2021, March 23). If you're a polar bear, your location may foretell your future " yale climate connections. Yale Climate Connections. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/if-youre-a-polar-bear-your-location-may-foretell-your-future/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvriMBhAuEiwA8Cs5lQ4RVmJuLBpY8a5N-kwaUv-HH_sCptRwoRMVbqkGP_hyGfhDwHSYoBoCKikQAvD_BwE.

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Climate change. National Parks Service. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/nature/climate-change.htm.