Climate Change

Definition

Climate change refers to significant alterations in global temperatures and weather patterns over time. It is primarily driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, leading to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Understanding climate change is crucial because it affects ecosystems, species distribution, and biodiversity across the globe.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Climate change is causing shifts in species distributions as organisms move toward cooler areas or higher altitudes to survive.
2. Many species face extinction risks due to their inability to adapt quickly enough to rapid climate changes.
3. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns affect the availability of resources like food and water, impacting species survival.
4. Climate change is linked to increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, further disrupting ecosystems and species distributions.
5. Biogeographical barriers, such as oceans and mountains, can limit the ability of species to migrate in response to changing climates.

Review Questions

• How does climate change influence species distribution patterns globally?
  • Climate change affects species distribution patterns by altering habitats and resource availability. As temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, many species are forced to migrate to cooler areas or higher elevations to find suitable living conditions. This can lead to changes in community structures as new species invade and established ones decline or disappear, significantly altering local ecosystems.
• Evaluate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
  • Climate change poses significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem stability by disrupting established relationships between species and their environments. As conditions change, some species may not be able to adapt or migrate quickly enough, leading to declines or extinctions. The loss of biodiversity undermines ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and climate regulation, ultimately making ecosystems less resilient to further environmental changes.
• Synthesize how climate change, habitat fragmentation, and human activities collectively impact biogeographical patterns.
  • Climate change interacts with habitat fragmentation and human activities to create complex challenges for biogeographical patterns. As climate change alters temperature and precipitation patterns, habitat fragmentation restricts the movement of species trying to adapt. Human activities exacerbate these issues by further degrading habitats and increasing stressors on wildlife. Together, these factors disrupt natural migration routes and lead to mismatches between species' life cycles and environmental conditions, ultimately threatening ecosystem integrity.

Related terms

Greenhouse Gases: Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), contributing to the greenhouse effect and climate change.

Habitat Fragmentation: The process by which large habitats are broken into smaller, isolated patches, often due to human activities, affecting species distribution and ecosystem health.

Phenology: The study of the timing of seasonal events in nature, such as flowering or migration, which can be affected by changes in climate patterns.