Is our planet really warming? Our planet has been recorded to go through cycles of heating and cooling throughout its time, so is this period of warming just a phase? Human induced climate change is the prevailing factor for why we are experiencing global warming on our planet. Human activity since the beginning of the industrial revolution has caused increased amounts of carbon dioxide and additional greenhouse gases to penetrate the atmosphere. As we continue to burn fossil fuels and deforest our planet, additional greenhouse gases are becoming concentrated within the atmosphere, causing an overall rise in global temperatures.
According to this article, we as humans are approaching atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases that have not been detected in the past 20 million years. Due to such implications, temperatures in the upper oceanic layers and land are now reported to be ~1 °C higher than pre-industrial times. This result truly has the ability to create an impact across every ecosystem on earth, ultimately creating new effects on all kinds of biodiversity. This article focuses on multiple effects in which climate change may affect organisms within their natural environment. Species are now being found to undergo evolutionary adaptations within both physiology and morphology.
Physiologically, there has been observed evidence that warming has shifted certain species sex ratios. The snake pipefish, which relies on temperature dependent sex determination, has begun to alter its reproductive rate as a consequence of increased sea surface temperatures. In addition, it is known that most fish need oxygen in order to survive underwater. There is a very low and limited concentration of oxygen in our oceans and freshwaters today which creates a current demand for species underwater. As waters begin to warm due to climate change, oxygen content begins to decrease within the water, thus creating an even higher metabolic demand for oxygen amongst most fish species.
Morphologically, individuals amongst some species are becoming smaller due to increasing global temperatures. Over the past 50 years, it has been found that 6 species of Appalachian woodland salamanders have undergone an 8% reduction in body size. It is most likely that species are reducing their body size in order to favor large surface-to-volume ratios in the increasing temperature climate. Wing length amongst three species of passerine birds have also shown an overall 4% decrease in wing length. Other species, like the long distance migrant bird, the red knot, have been found to produce smaller sized offspring due to increasing global temperatures. Body size reductions can have a critical impact on a species mortality rate, population size, and individual fitness if ill equipped with undersized physical features. It is difficult to begin to decipher which ecosystems are in a higher demand for help; however, I believe it is important to begin to start recognizing and deciphering which natural systems can potentially adapt on their own, while others may need additional outside support. We as a scientific community need to start understanding the new ecological demands/interactions that are forthcoming with increased global temperatures.
Elise Babula (1)
When you mentioned how global warming shifted pipefish sex ratios it reminded me of a similar situation I learned about in BIO 280. Sea turtle sex is determined by sand temperature during development in the egg. In some parts of the world female sea turtles are currently outnumbering male sea turtles by ~116:1! It is interesting (and a bit frightening) to see just how quickly some species are responding to climate change. But even if some species can adapt quickly enough to survive, others in the same ecosystems may not be able to; ultimately affecting those that are fit as well.
ReplyDeletePosted by "Meagan Gustafson"
I have also had an outside course where we were discussing how temperature is affecting the gender of sea turtle eggs. I think another big impact that climate change has is on species phenology. For most species, migrations and life history processes are closely tied to seasonal differences. As temperatures continue to rise, our seasons are beginning to shift- ultimately affecting many species migratory events. Such shifts in season affects both marine, freshwater, and terrestrial animals. It will be interesting to see which species will be able to adapt to this type of variation.
DeleteElise Babula (1)
The climate changes regardless of whether we are here on Earth. I think saying climate change is happening and that Earth is getting warmer is close to the same conclusion: that the climate of earth shows the average temperature in response to the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, and we also contribute to this thru deforestation (for example).
ReplyDelete-Katherine Tran
I think this is a very interesting topic since climate change has only been talked about more relatively recently. Although climate change has been noted as an issue for a very long time, people have only realized during the past few years that this issue is approaching quicker than we thought. Most people think of climate change as only the overall temperature rising, however, in reality, it is more than that. Climate change is also the reason behind the more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns that we have been seeing. For example as we have all experienced, sudden temperature drops, intense heat waves and many other climate events that were unstable.
ReplyDeletePosted by "Emily Wong"
I agree with you, the weather is another type of climate change effect we are ourselves are experiencing as well. With temperatures rising, there will be more extremes seen with winds and precipitation regimes. I think its also important to note that yes, our oceans are becoming warmer, however, so are our lakes and rivers. Increasing temperatures in our lakes and rivers alters seasonal patterns of mixing and flow. This impact has the ability to alter the phenology of many migrating fish species. I think its important to take a step back and realizing that climate change should not be taken as a "myth" anymore. It is real, and currently happening before our eyes.
DeleteElise Babula (1)
I found this read to be extremely fascinating as I had no idea that species' morphology could adapt in ways such as reducing body size. I think this ties back to another biology course that I am currently taking (287) as we discuss a lot about how species adapt in various ways to their changing environment, and this being just one of those ways. I wonder how species on Earth would look in the distant future if we continue on the current path that we are on...
ReplyDeletePosted by Brian Lee (1)