Lectures 24-25: Impacts of Climate Change & Carbon Emissions Flashcards
How will climate changes impact biomes, communities, and species?
- species distributions will change (shift towards poles and high elevations)
- species abundance will change
- new species will invade
- some species will go extinct
How does climate change affect the timing of biological activities?
some biological events are occurring weeks earlier now and some are out of sync (ex: predators being born before/after prey)
what is phenology?
the study of how seasonal and climate variations impact the life cycles of plants and animals
What are some effects of climate change on phenology?
cherry blossoms bloom faster now, birds are laying eggs days earlier
How does climate change affect the distribution of species?
changes in temperature/precipitation will change the geographic range of species
ex: birds in NA have migrated 46km south in 20 yrs
How do plants prove that changes in species distribution has occurred?
antarctic vascular plants have become more abundant due to greater seed germination in warmer temps
in the swiss alps, plant species are moving upward at 4 m/decade
How do flying insects prove that changes in species distribution has occured?
> 60% of european butterflies have shifted northward while only 3% have shifted southward
How do marine organisms prove that changes in species distribution has occurred?
Invertebrates of different types become increasingly dominant in non-native waters
Why may some species be unable to keep up with impacts of climate change?
They’ll need to migrate further north ~ 4km/year (40x more than at the end of the last ice age)
How do mountain pine beetles affect carbon in forests (case study)?
Beetles make nests in mature pine trees –> babies feed on the trees killing them (lots of mature trees since there have been no forest fires)
Without beetles, forests are a carbon sink, with beetles, they are a carbon source
What is the positive feedback loop of the forest beetles?
Pine beetles kill trees –> decompose and release CO2 -> GHG makes it warmer –> more ideal climate for beetles –> more laying eggs in pine trees (and killing the trees)
What is the impact on increased carbon emission on seawater?
More CO2 dissolved in seawater means more H+ and HCO3- and less CO32-
Less carbonate = less calcium carbonate = marine organisms cant grow their shells
What is the impact on warmer climates (due to emissions) on fish?
CO2 emissions = increase avg global temp = increased ocean temp:
warmer water has less o2 –> big fish require more o2 –> larger fish cannot survive with less o2 –> all remaining fish are smaller
How does climate change affect algal blooms?
Increased temp = increased rainfall (increased phosphate runoff from fertilizers) +increased evaporation (means PO4 [ ] increases and water is warmer) = more blue-green algae blooms
