// lecture 30

Question 1

Plants & animals can grow, survive, and reproduce

only in specific climatic conditions

Answer 1

First climate classification systems were based on ecology, and
relationships exist between the annual variation of temperature and precipitation and the kind of vegetation/
ecology that exists on land and in the ocean (ocean also depends on currents/upwelling.

Question 2

Many non-climate driving forces affect species:

Answer 2

Invasive species, Natural disturbances (e.g., wildfires), Pests, Diseases, Pollution, Agriculture intensification, Habitat fragmentation. these influences are often much larger than climate-induced changes. also nature is unpredictable.

Question 3

climate impacts on wildlife

Answer 3

lost habitats, shifts in timing of predator-prey or symbiotic relationships, temp. thresholds, shifting ranges and adaptation, if possible, and temperature or water dependent pests and diseases

Question 4

seasonal timing

Answer 4

• Earlier springs have led to earlier nesting for 28
  migratory bird species on the East Coast of the United States.
• Northeastern birds that winter in the southern
  United States are returning north in the spring 13 days earlier than they did in a century ago.
• In a California study, 16 out of 23 butterfly species
  shifted their migration timing and arrived earlier.

Question 5

some species have moved

Answer 5

poleward and upward to adjust to temp. changes.

Question 6

edith’s checkerspot butterfly range changes:

Answer 6

• Populations are decreasing rapidly in S. Calif./Baja.
  -  B.C. and mountain populations are still thriving.
• Individual butterflies don’t move: just species in
  colder locations have been more successful .

Question 7

quino checkerspot butterfly (subspecies of edith’s checkerspot)

Answer 7

• Endangered, biggest threat is urban development.
• First species for which climate change is officially listed as a
  threat & factor that must be considered for recovery. recovery would be easiest in southern range of species because less development is occurring there.
• some scientists have suggested assisted migration.

Question 8

range shifts

Answer 8

Species are relocating to areas with more tolerable climate conditions. particularly threaten species that: cannot move fast enough and depend on conditions that are becoming more rare (like sea ice).

Question 9

birds have shifted their range

Answer 9

data from xmas bird count performed every yr by volunteers. shows 35 mile shift over last 40 yrs.

Question 10

cold water fish habitat

Answer 10

• As rivers and streams warm, warmwater fish are
  expanding into areas previously inhabited by coldwater species.
• As waters warm, coldwater fish, including many highly-
  valued trout and salmon species, are losing their habitat, with projections of 47% habitat loss by 2080.
• In certain regions in the western United States, losses of
  western trout populations may exceed 60 percent, while in other regions, losses of bull trout may reach about 90 percent.
• Range shifts disturb the current state of the ecosystem
  and can limit opportunities for fishing and hunting.

Question 11

cold water fish

Answer 11

trout and salmon

Question 12

warm water fish

Answer 12

catfish, bass, perch

Question 13

american pika

Answer 13

lives in mountains in western US/Canada. makes a distinctive whistling noise and have dense fur, well suited to cold temps.

Question 14

pikas and global warming

Answer 14

• can get heat stroke and die after brief exposure to temps. above 78 F. heat can lead to less time for foraging in addition to direct harm.
• local extinctions have occurred in several populations in the US already. live essentially on high-altitude islands of colder temps. migration to higher altitudes or more northern locations is not always possible.

Question 15

wolverines

Answer 15

like snow because they store food for later use. bear their young very early in feb. carnivore, but not top predator. must occupy a niche, rocky frozen areas.

Question 16

food web disruption: arctic

Answer 16

• Not only is the decline of sea ice impairing polar bear
  populations by reducing the extent of their primary habitat, it is also negatively impacting them via food web effects.
• Declines in the duration and extent of sea ice in the
  Arctic leads to declines in the abundance of ice algae, which thrive in nutrient-rich pockets in the ice.
  - These algae are eaten by zooplankton, which are in turn
  eaten by Arctic cod, an important food source for many marine mammals, including seals.
• Seals are eaten by polar bears. Hence, declines in ice
  algae can contribute to declines in polar bear populations.

Question 17

cloud forests of central america

Answer 17

cloud mist critical to getting wet habitat biome through dry season. clouds shade forests too and suppress evaporation that way.

Question 18

Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

Answer 18

an example where development has been stopped by purchasing the land, but climate and habitat fragmentation still a threat. warming seems to be contributing to drying and the biology has repsonded.

Question 19

cloud forest meteorology

Answer 19

• cloud forest of costa rica
• easterlies come from caribbean side and provide clouds in the mountains even in the dry season.
• this allows huge species diversity and some special species that would not otherwise exist.

Question 20

animals of the cloud forest

Answer 20

sloth, gloden toad, quetzal

Question 21

loss of frog species is altitude dependent

Answer 21

much high fraction of Atelopus are lost in altitude range 1000 to 2400 meters elevation - 90%.

Question 22

climate change, along with

Answer 22

habitat destruction and pollution, is one of the important stressors that can contribute to species extinction.

Question 23

The IPCC estimates that

Answer 23

20-30% of the plant and animal
species evaluated so far in climate change studies are at risk of extinction if temperatures reach the levels projected to occur by the end of this century.

Question 24

Global rates of species extinctions are likely to

Answer 24

approach or exceed the upper limit of observed natural rates of extinction in the fossil record.

Question 25

Examples of species that are particularly climate sensitive and could be at risk of significant losses include animals that are

Answer 25

adapted to mountain environments, such as the pika; animals that are dependent on sea ice habitats, such as ringed seals and polar bears; and coldwater fish, such as salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

Question 26

timing changes

Answer 26

• In addition to moving in location (higher latitudes or
  higher elevation), species can shift in time too.
• spring is happening 5-15 days earlier.

Question 27

Some seasonal biological activities are happening 5-15 days earlier than several decades ago:

Answer 27

trees blooming earlier, migrating birds arriving earlier, and butterflies emerging earlier. changes in timing differ from species to species, so ecological interactions are disrupted.

Question 28

Disrupted synchrony

Answer 28

is when things used to

happen at the same time, but are shifting.

Question 29

Disrupted Synchrony: Shrimp

Answer 29

- Hatching of shrimp larvae
match timing of phytoplankton bloom in
spring.
- Cue for shrimp larvae is
temperature at ocean bottom.
- Phytoplankton bloom is
timed to sun.

Question 30

13 and 17 year Magicicada Synchrony

Answer 30

A species of Cicada comes out of the ground in synchrony every 13 or 17 years, depending on subspecies.

• Overwhelm predators with sheer numbers – predator satiation – when billions come out at same time every 17 years.
• Because of long prime number cycle, difficult for specialist predator to develop to be ready to eat/breed when cicada’s make their rare, but spectacular emergence.

Question 31

climate warming is largest in the

Answer 31

high latitudes. but organisms in high latitudes are used to temp. changes (20-30 C changes from winter to summer every year). in the tropics temp. changes are much smaller. time and evolution have made tropical species less adapted to temp. swings.

Question 32

temp changes in high latitudes vs tropics

Answer 32

in high latitudes, temp. changes are more, but will not be outside range of fitness. in tropics, may hit temps. which threaten survival of species.

Question 33

tropical species

Answer 33

large amount of biodiversity in the tropics. the idea that tropical species are hurt more is true for many species: insects, turtles, lizards, and frogs & toads. high metabolic rates requiring more time spent getting food important for cold-blooded animals.

Question 34

Amphibians & reptiles are particularly vulnerable

Answer 34

• Cannot maintain their internal body temperature (cold-blooded).
• Many species are disappearing.
• Diseases spreading more easily due to climate has been
  implicated in some extinctions. Ex: Frog extinction due to fungus (growing due to increased
  nighttime temperatures)
• Often fragmentation of ecosystems, pollutants are to blame for unhealthy populations.

Question 35

parasitic diseases

Answer 35

many will likely increase with warmer and moister climates.

Question 36

malaria

Answer 36

caused by mosquitoes. cold weather kills mosquitoes. spreading into regions of African highlands not previously seen. we are stropping the spread of malaria faster than it is expanding though. and further attention to prevention could likely offset any climate effect.

Question 37

bark beetle

Answer 37

• spreading across north america due to warmer winters and increased drought.
• Montana, Wyoming, Colorado pine forest are particularly hit hard. Also WA, BC, Alberta.
• often attack already weakened trees (by drought, etc.). can lead to forest fires.

Question 38

some basic expectations of ecosystem responses to warming:

Answer 38

• species that move will head to high latitudes/high altitudes.
• species that can’t move may be in danger.
• tropical species appear to be most vulnerable (even though warming is less there).
• disrupted synchrony can occur if one species changes its lifecycle timing relative to another.