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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. Caceres pg. 2 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. Caceres pg. 3 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 Caceres pg. 4 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 Caceres pg. 5 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 Caceres pg. 6 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.