How Climate Change Effects Biodiversity

Read below to read 5 major ways biodiversity is effected by climate change

Climate change is a growing threat to our planet. It alters several aspects of our naturally balanced ecosystem. One of the many things affected by these changes is the biodiversity of both plants and animals. We are already seeing the consequences of this, and they will only continue to get worse if humans don’t step in to change the direction of climate change. Humans have already caused great disruptions in the natural ecosystem through habitat destruction and fragmentation for agriculture, deforestation for consumer purposes, and more. These disruptions are making habitats even more fragile to changing climates. According the Stein et al. 2000, Greer 2004, OEHHA 2004, Bunn et al. 2007 thee human-made changes have directly resulted in 35% of the state’s flora, as well as 15% of the state’s vertebrate fauna at greater risk of going extinct. In the study Parmesan 2006, Barnosky et al. 2011 researchers found that species respond to temperature changes by changing their life-history events which include migration and blooming, moving to new territories that can now better accommodate them. They also alter behavior, for example reproduction, morphology, and genetics; lastly, this can cause a species' numbers to decline, or for it to become extinct. They concluded that this then in turn affects trophic interactions, as because each species will respond in a different way. Each species affects the trophic interactions, but some more than others. For example, if a keystone predator responds to these climate changes with lessening numbers, the biodiversity of the area will be affected.

The extinction or moving of keystone predators will lessen biodiversity. This was seen in the study where researcher Robert Paine removed starfish from an area in order to see its effect on the ecosystem. The species in that area decreased from fifteen to eight because the starfish was no longer there to control the populations of certain species. This regulation by predators is called the Green World Hypothesis. It states that keystone predators play a vital part in trophic interactions through population control. Climate change is causing many of these keystone predates to become endangered, or even wiping them out. If a keystone predator shifts its range or goes extinct it will no longer be able to play this key role in its ecosystem. In order to increase biodiversity it is important to reintroduce keystone predators that once lived in the territory. An example of this being successful is wolves in Yellowstone. When wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone, the elk population was under control, and they started to avoid areas where they were vulnerable to predation. This then resulted in vegetation being able to grow higher and in more areas than previously, which in turn increased bird, bear, and beaver populations. It even affected rivers. This case study exemplified how important it is to have these keystone predates for biodiversity. Climate change is projected to lead to the extinction of many of these keystone predators. If this happens our biodiversity will decline greatly.

As a result of Carbon being taken up by the ocean it’s temperature is rising rapidly. This is causing the ocean to become more acidic. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the last three centuries the ocean has grown 25% more acidic. This is a drastic change, which has been having an extreme impact on marine biodiversity. Many marine animals have calcium carbonate shells. The growth of these shells become slower when acidity rises, and as a result of this they often dissolve before they can fully form. This is a big threat to clams, oysters, muscles, and more. Our marine biodiversity will become significantly smaller if animals with calcium carbonate shells can no longer exist in our oceans. This in turn affects their predators, as they need these animals in order to sustain their populations. If shelled animals go extinct so will many other animals that rely on them as their main food source. Increased ocean acidification also gives certain larvae such as sea urchins, fish, and oysters development issues. Some fish larvae can no longer smell and have trouble sensing predators in acidic oceans. This will result in a decline in the animals' fitness, making future generations weaker and less likely to survive.

Wildfires are wiping out many species habitats making formerly thriving ecosystems uninhabitable. The likelihood of wildfires occurring depends on an area's temperature, soil moisture, and its number of trees along with other vegetation. All of these variables are affected by climate change. Climate change is raising the risk for these factors. We are already seeing the effects, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife fifteen of the biggest and most destructive wildfires all happened in the last twenty years. These wildfires cause destruction that change the forest's biodiversity. In some areas affected by wildfires the native plants are not able to recuperate and invasive or non-native species take over the land. Woods, 1989 stated “fire can kill virtually all seedlings, sprouts, lianas and young trees because they are not protected by thick bark. Damage to the seed bank, seedlings and saplings hinders recovery of the original species.” This in turn affects the animals who feed off the nataive vegetation. In addition to this animals whose diet consists mainly of fruit have an extremely hard time surviving in areas devastated by first fires, this has particularly impacted a lot of bird species. If an animal's food source is no longer present in their habitat they will have to expand their range, and they could become extinct. Because of this many of the species in these areas could disappear. Birds, reptiles, small mammals, and carnivores are not commonly found in fire devastated territories. This has a major impact on the food chain. This disruption in the ecosystem is predicted to lead to future extinctions, affecting our world's biodiversity.

Changing temperatures in the North and South pole is detrimental to polar ecosystems, putting many animals who live in these habitats at risk for extinction. Seasonal patterns in the poles are having drastic changes, as global warming is resulting in summers becoming longer and winters becoming shorter. This in turn makes many animal habitats significantly warmer. Many species that live in these ecosystems cannot survive in these new conditions, and have no range to expand their habitats into. Tom Brown, a marine biologist of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams), in Oban stated that “The Arctic food chain relies on a stable sea ice platform and that is now disappearing, putting the region’s wildlife at risk.” Foxes, polar bears, seals, and wolves are at great risk. If these species’ numbers decline even further, or they go extinct it will greatly upset the natural balance and the biodiversity of the area will change greatly. We cannot afford to lose these animals who live in habitats with lower temperatures.

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