Download Internet activity #2: birds

Kally Morozin
Chapter 43 Internet Activity #2: Birds
1. A bellwether species is a species that indicates ecological changes. Humans have been
causing changes in the watershed. Birds are extremely vulnerable to watershed changes.
Because of birds’ dependence on different habitats, their behaviors can indicate when
harm comes to watersheds. Birds are used to monitor the general health of ecosystems
2. Global warming has affected the timing and distance of birds’ migrations. The shorelines
of the Great Lakes are the breeding ground for bird species. However, as the global
warms annual, the sea level rise destroying the shoreline these birds need to breed. Bird
populations are expected to decline between 20%-40%. As the climate changes, bird
species that can only thrive in a narrow environmental range are expected to decline.
3. This is importance because birds are essential to ecosystems. They can be primary,
secondary, and even tertiary consumers in the food webs. If bird species decline then
many animals would lose their source of food, and in turn those bird eating species would
decline. In addition, species that bird feed on could grow unhealthily and dramatically
fast.
4. The Ptarmigan extinction could effect the survival of humans. If the Ptarmigan goes
extinct, then the species that feed on it won’t have any food, and they would go extinct
eventually. This could cause entire ecosystem to be destroyed, and humans could lose
species and environments we depend on.