Download Anno-bib How do plants and animals adapt to

Caceres pg. 1
Beverly Caceres
Professor Cross
English 113B
4/16/13
Animals and Plants Adapting to Climate Change
Earth’s climate has been changing dramatically and it’s been affecting how plants and
animals are adapting to the environment. Earth has been heating up at a fast rate and animals and
plants can’t adapt quickly to their environment. Places such as the rainforest, have certain
temperatures that animals need to survive. Because of the change in climate the ecosystem has
been unbalanced such as animals waking up from hibernation earlier and plants blossoming
earlier in spring. Also animals and plants are ranging to new locations to find suitable homes
since there old habitats are too warm.
Environmental Protection Agency, “Plants, Animals, and Ecosystem.” EPA, n.d Web. 25
Mar. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/ecosystems
.html>.
In a “Students Guide to Global Change” by Environmental Protection Agency, state how
plants and animal are being affected by climate change. Polar bears live in cold temperatures and
the earth is warming up making them have to move from their original habitat. Since the earth is
getting warmer about one fourth of the animals will be extinct. Every animal plays a role in the
ecosystem like as a source of food, a predator, a pollinator, or shelter, so losing one species can
affect many others. There are also coral reefs which are plant like animal that live in tropic
shallow waters and because the water is warmer they’re being bleached and dying off.
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EPA provides good facts about warmer temperatures having an impact on many species
and plants which can unbalance the ecosystem. However they provide a few examples on how
we can preserve some habitats for animals and to care for plants when being around them.
Around coral reefs people should be careful while diving or boating, or joining support groups to
raise awareness. People should do these small changes to help our environment and help animals
and plants.
EPA shows very useful information and provides the basics of how animals and plants
are being affected by climate change. EPA mentions what we can do to prevent or help plants
and animal species by doing easy steps that almost anyone can do. By joining support groups,
and they state real facts and pictures to let the reader know what exactly might be going on with
plants and animals trying to adapt to climate change.
The University of Maine, “Plants and Animals Shrinking with Climate Change?" Maine Climate
News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://umaine.edu/maineclimatenews/blog/2011
/12/04/plants-and-animals-shrinking-with-climate-change/>.
Furthermore in “Plants and animals shrinking with climate change?” by the University of
Maine, shows that animals and plants may be shrinking due to climate change. For example,
British ecologist C.J Reading has conducted a 23 year study of toads that female toads shrink in
size when winter became milder. So in warm temperatures the toad’s metabolism speeds up and
in cold temperatures it slows down so the female toad could save its fat. Leading to animals
eating more plants to preserve more fat or by making themselves shrink smaller. However plants
may also experience stunt growth when there are changes in water. For instance, if there was a
flood plants would be washed away because they can’t grow fully and if there were to be a
drought and then decrease their respiration and growth.
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In “Plants and animals shrinking with climate change?” they show many details of how
animals shrink in size because of climate change such as toads, and may lead to other animals
having to shrink in size in order to adapt to their environment. They also provide fossil evidence
from 56 million years ago that species from a long time ago such as beetles, ants, and cicadas
have shrunk 50-75% in the process of 20,000 years to survive. But because earth is warming up
at a fast rate animals and plants may have trouble trying to adjust to the environment.
I thought that the University of Maine has useful information for how animals may adapt
to the environment in the future. But if earth continues to worsen in climate change it would only
lead to the extinction of species. If plants were to shrink, humans can be affected in nutrition
because crops might be limited in important proteins sources. Overall they provide real facts
from ecologists and doctors who have conducted tests and experiments to truly see if species of
plants and animals really do shrink because of climate change.
University of Utah News, "Climate Change Threatens Tropical Birds." N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Mar. 2013. <http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/climate-change-threatens-tropicalbirds/>.
In “Climate Change Threatens Tropical Birds” from Science and Technology from the U,
states that tropical birds have been affected by climate change, habitat loss or how they can move
into new homes. Because temperatures have been getting higher, birds like the Rainbow Toucan
have to go higher into elevation competing with the Resplendent Quetzal for nesting.
Şekercioğlu also states that, habitat loss may lead to birds becoming extinct for competing for
nesting and because the higher they elevate there’s less food. In addition because of sea level
rising, birds in tropical coastal and island ecosystems disappear at a rapid rate, because of
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climate change and exploitation of humans. Scientist’s mention that we need to reduce our
greenhouse gases to prevent the extinction of countless birds by the year of 2100.
I believe that the University of Utah from Science and Technology provides great amount
of information on tropical birds and how they compete in order to survive and go higher into
elevation. They show many statistics on birds that about 12.5% of the 10,000 bird species can
become extinct. In fact they mention that global warming is the leading cause for climate change
and if we don’t do anything to stop earth from heating up we’re going to lose many species of
birds. Lastly the University of Utah exclaim that humans are destroying tropical bird’s habitat
making it more difficult for them to find homes and dying at a rapid rate.
In addition Şekercioğlu and his colleagues have showed real facts and statistics from
years of studies. Scientists have also declared that climate change wouldn’t only bring more
warming to earth but we’d experience more heat waves, drought, and fires that can lead to
destruction and extinction of species. They also provide pictures of tropical birds that are
endangered and have lost their habitat like the Resplendent Quetzal and Venezuela’s scissortailed hummingbird or like the Collared Redstart shifting to higher elevations because of rising
temperatures.
NASA, “NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration." NASA. N.p., n.d.
Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/climate20111214.html>.
In “NASA - Climate Change May Bring Big Ecosystem Changes”, NASA’s researchers
have said that by 2100 global climate change will have an effect on plants and perhaps even
move to other locations. Because humans polluted a lot of greenhouse gases it’s affecting the
environment making animals compete for survival and having them to adapt to new habitats.
Overall researchers have explained that by studies they have discovered that climate change has
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affected the ecological balance of plants and animal species. Since animals and plants species
need to migrate in seasonal environmental changes to reproduce and survive from climate
change, they cannot keep up with how fast the climate is changing. Humans have destroyed
already too much by greenhouse gases and urbanization, and we’re getting in the way of plants
trying to survive.
I agree with NASA because they have conducted so many studies and experiments on
climate change and what’s happening to earth today. Researchers mention that they have warned
people for more than 25 years on how dangerous climate change can be. Not only is it affecting
plants and animal’s species, but also humans as well. Humans are responsible for destroying the
climate and have disrupted the ecological balance. Researchers have conducted studies on
computers where they explain that by 2100 greenhouse gases may even double and earth
temperature will increase from 3.6-7.2 Fahrenheit.
NASA provides very useful information on how plants and animals would have to adapt
to the environment. They mention many studies that researchers have done for over years and
use technology to discover what earth may be like in the next 100 years. Gas emissions from
greenhouse gases are having a big impact on the climate that can lead to animals and plants
having a hard time to adapt to their environment and competing for habitats where food may not
be available as before.
Environmental Protection Agency, "Ecosystems Impacts & Adaptation." EPA., n.d. Web.
25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/ ecosystems.
html>.
Lastly in “Ecosystems Impacts & Adaptation” by EPA, they state that climate change has
forced animals to change habitats and have to adapt to new habitats. For example, sea level can
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rise making its way into fresh water territory making species having to move to different areas or
dying. Also there may be an effect on the food web if animals have to relocate or die, predators
need to find another food source which may be difficult. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has estimated that 20-30% of animal and plant species are at risk of
extinction if by the end of this century temperatures keep rising. For example, animals like the
American Pika who are sensitive in temperatures and live in sea ice habitats, are decreasing in
population.
Overall the Environmental and protection Agency have performed studies on animals and
plants and how they need to adapt to climate change. EPA give’s examples on certain animals
that are endangered and have an example of a chain in the food web where sea ice has decreased
and are not producing enough ice algae. Therefore zooplankton cannot eat the ice algae leading
to a decrease in zooplankton. Arctic cod can’t eat zooplanktons which are eaten by seals, and
they don’t have much to eat. While polar bears eat seal then leading to a decrease in population
in polar bears.
EPA has provided very useful information and facts of what climate change has
impacted. Animals and plants are having trouble to adjust to the environment and are dying
because they can’t adapt to their new habitats. If we reduce greenhouse emissions people can
help the earth from rising higher in temperatures in the future. EPA show’s real statistics and
conducted many studies over the past years to show people that indeed humans are the cause of
climate change. If we continue to destroy the environment we’ll just put countless of species of
plants and animals into extinction.