Download File

Warmup


Is anyone working to reduce the effects of climate
change? Give some examples…
How can you reduce the effects of climate change?
(List at least 5 efforts)
CLIMATE CHANGE
AND
BIODIVERSITY
2.6.4a Analyze how changes in global temperatures affect
the biosphere (ex. Agriculture, species diversity, ecosystem
balance).
Golden Toad
Bufo periglenes
Once abundant in the cloud-shrouded rainforests of Monteverde in Costa Rica,
no one has seen one since 1989.
Harlequin Frogs
•About two-thirds of
Central and South
America's 110 harlequin
frog species are believed
to have vanished during
the 1980s and 1990s.
•The primary culprit is the
pathogenic chytrid fungus
Batrachochytrium
dendrobatidis, which has
been favored by global
warming.
Findings from the US Climate Change
Science Program


Climate change is already affecting U.S. water
resources, agriculture, land resources, and
biodiversity, and will continue to do so.
http://www.sap43.ucar.edu/
Findings: Crops


Grain and oilseed crops will mature more rapidly,
but increasing temperatures will increase the risk of
crop failures, particularly if precipitation decreases
or becomes more variable.
Horticultural crops (such as tomato, onion, and fruit)
are more sensitive to climate change than grains and
oilseed crops.
Findings: Livestock

Higher temperatures will negatively affect livestock.
 Warmer
winters will reduce mortality but this will be
more than offset by greater mortality in hotter summers.
 Hotter temperatures will also result in reduced
productivity of livestock and dairy animals.
Findings:
Productivity

Young forests on fertile soils will achieve higher
productivity from elevated atmospheric CO2
concentrations.



Nitrogen deposition and warmer temperatures will increase
productivity in other types of forests where water is available.
The growing season has increased by 10 to 14 days
over the last 19 years across the temperate latitudes.
Species’ distributions have also shifted.
Findings: Fire and
Invasive Species

Forests in the interior West, the Southwest, and Alaska are
already being affected by climate change with




Weeds grow more rapidly under elevated atmospheric CO2.


increases in the size and frequency of forest fires,
insect outbreaks and
tree mortality.
Under projections reported in the assessment, weeds migrate
northward and are less sensitive to herbicide applications.
Invasion by exotic grass species into arid lands will result
from climate change, causing an increase fire frequency.

Rivers and riparian systems in arid lands will be negatively
impacted.
Findings: Water



Much of the United States has experienced higher
precipitation and stream-flow, with decreased drought
severity and duration, over the 20th century.
The West and Southwest, however, are notable
exceptions, and increased drought conditions have
occurred in these regions.
A continuation of the trend toward increased water use
efficiency could help mitigate the impacts of climate
change on water resources.
Findings: Water
Findings: Snow


There is a trend toward reduced mountain snowpack
and earlier spring snowmelt runoff in the Western
United States.
The rapid rates of warming in the Arctic observed in
recent decades, and projected for at least the next
century, are dramatically reducing the snow and ice
covers that provide foraging habitat for polar
bears.
Birds and Climate Change

More is known about them
 not
too many ‘fish-watchers’
 ‘canaries in the coal mine’

9787 known living species
 21%
(2,055 species) are extinction prone (for a
variety of reasons)
 habitat
destruction/fragmentation impacts ~85%
 climate change is quickly emerging as a leading factor
Being out of ecological synchrony



Breeding is tied to seasonal events: flowering, seeds,
insect emergence, etc.
Being out of step with food supplies may mean the
early bird doesn’t get the worm
Species may be driven by different cues:
 birds
by photoperiod (light)
 insects by temperature
What makes a species extinction prone?

Specialists (vs Generalist)
 habitat
 food
 nesting
requirements
 restricted range


Importance to humans
Predators, diseases, etc.
Can’t they just move?

Many species rich areas are already protected, e.g.,
national parks, nature preserves, etc.
 If
vegetation changes, habitats are lost
 Where can they move to?
Ecological communities will be reshuffled
As species move they may have to deal with
changes in
 prey
 predators
 competitors
 parasites
 diseases
 habitats
that are less than ideal
Case Study: Hawaiian Honeycreepers
Honeycreepers



Once 29 species, now 19 due to habitat loss,
disease, predators
Avian malaria, one agent, pushed their distribution
to altitudes where the mosquito was rare
2ºC increase will reduce habitat by 50%, 96%, and
100% in their three established refuges
Graphic Organizer


Create a diagram summarizing the effects of
climate change on biodiversity.
You may wish to include
 Pictures,
 Word
web,
 Cause and effect chart, etc

Once you finish, answer the two questions on the
bottom of your page.
Activity: Ecosystem Role Cards




Read the four expected impacts of climate change
on your ecosystem
Create a poster summarizing the impacts of climate
change on your ecosystem.
Ex/Humans in Small Pacific Islands…
Be sure it’s colorful and creative (more than just
words!)