Ecosystem Affects

Introduction

A change as little as one degree in earth’s global climate can majorly affect many plants and animals. Climate change affects, species migration patterns, some food chains, and climate change will continue to majorly affect earth if we don’t all help stop it.

Migration/Spring Time

Spring and migration for many species starts at a certain time when it's a certain temperature so when climate change affects the world temperatures it affects animals. For example, climate change could force some species on water and on land to migrate differently which could lead to extinction. So, if a species’s migration is affected it also affects its annual life cycle like migration, blooming and mating. Furthermore, because of different temperatures some species have moved where they usually live. One example is boreal forests are invading tundra, reducing habitat for the many species that depend on the tundra ecosystem. Last, many species in different states have been affected. For example, in just the East Coast of the United States 28 bird species have nested earlier because of warmer springs. Even smaller than that, 16 out of 23 butterfly species in California shifted their migration timing and arrived earlier. All in all, little changes can make very big impacts (Ecosystems).

Food Chains

Food chains are the systems that include predator and prey, for example grass is eaten by grasshoppers, which are eaten by frogs, which are eaten by hawks. So, grass is at the bottom of the food chain, and hawks are at the top. When climate change affects animals they migrate so be in the right habitat, but that means there is an animal that doesn’t belong in that habitat. For example, boreal forests are invading tundra, reducing habitat for the many species that depend on the tundra ecosystem. Also, little changes in food chains can greatly affect the rest of the food chain. Such as how natural jellyfish populations are rapidly growing. This is happening because predators of jellyfish like bluefin tuna and turtles are being hunted and so their population is going down which is causing less animals to eat jellyfish so the jellyfish population is growing. Finally, when there is too much of a certain species it causing something called the “tipping point”; this is when there is a big change in a food chains that makes everything else collapse. Such as, when coral reefs are stressed they let out microorganisms they need to survive, known as coral bleaching. This happens more because the increase of the acidity in the ocean. To conclude, simple changes in food chains because of climate change can make the whole food chain just collapse (Ecosystems).

What Can Happen

Researchers from NASA investigated how Earth’s plant life will react over the next three centuries during climate change caused by humans producing greenhouse gases. The model they used showed what earth looked like after ecological change and stress and many plant and animal species facing more competition for survival. First, the study model showed that humans have caused the relationship between interdependent and dependent animal and plant species to shift and will reduce diversity and affect water, energy, and other elements. This was because when there is climate change plants migrate to survive and reproduce. But when humans take away the habitats plants need the can’t successfully migrate. Second, the model showed there would be huge changes in 50% of climates on Earth. Such as, most of Earth’s land not covered by ice or desert is expected to have at least a 30% plant life change which will make humans and animals adapt; researchers found a difference in major ecological communities, mostly in grasslands, boreal forests, and in higher elevations. However, the Biggest ecological changes predicted were in areas with the most dramatic climate change like the Northern Hemisphere in high latitudes. Third, the scenario claims greenhouse gas amounts will double by 2100 and then level off. Earth will be warmer and wetter in some places and drier in others and global temperatures increase from 3.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The same warming that occurred following the Last Glacial Maximum almost 20,000 years ago, except about 100 times faster. In conclusion, if we don’t stop climate change then Earth will go through major changes (Climate Change May Bring Big Ecosystem Changes).

Summary

Climate change has confused many species to migrate early. Food chains have been affected and some have reached their tipping point. Last, but not least, we all have to help stop climate change or half of Earth’s climate will change. As a result, you can see that climate change is definitely affecting the world and it will continue to unless we all do our part to help stop it.

Works Cited