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Life Sciences
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English (U.K.)
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Topic:
Impact of climate change on plant and animal communities within Australia and globally
Essay Instructions:
I will upload additional files as soon as possible.
Assignment 2
Due date: 21st October 2010
Weight: 30%
Length: 1500 words
Topic/question: Discuss, with specific examples, the potential impact of climate change on plant
and animal communities within Australia and globally.
Learning Outcomes: 1-4; Graduate Attributes: 1,2,3,5 and 6
Learning Outcomes
1. demonstrate an appreciation of humanity's need to understand climate in the past,
present and future to plan for the future well-being of human societies;
2. demonstrate an understanding of methodologies for forecasting or predicting future
climate events from the past;
3. analyse and evaluate many planning issues arising from society's desire to control or
influence the future events of natural systems;
4. demonstrate an understanding of the evidence used in the arguments for 20th century
global warming and the economic, environmental and social policy implications both
locally and globally;
5. demonstrate a capacity for developing cogent arguments and
enhanced presentation skills;
6. apply enhanced skills in use of electronic data and information sources.
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Introduction
The paper critically examines using specific examples the potential impact of climate change on plants and animal community within Australia as well as other parts of the world. An understanding what of climate change is all about will be brought forth in the discussion. Additionally, the interaction of plant, animals and their environment will also be discussed in detail. The impact of climate change is well addressed by considering the ecosystem in question in two ways, before and after the climate change.
According to Andrewartha, 1954 all living organisms, this include plants and animals depend directly on climate that dictates the conditions under which they thrive best. Organisms will inhabit those regions that meet their habitat requirement which include food, cover, and breeding site among others.
The world’s climate has undergone over the years some significant temperature changes, warm and cool. Despite this fact, the present global warming is much more an unusual.
Unfortunately, drastic changes in climate as a result of human and natural causes have left these organisms (plants and animals) at a disadvantage as their habitat requirements are being continuously affected hence confining their distribution (Groombridge, 1992). Climate change has been documented to be the greatest challenge facing mankind at present.
It is no doubt that climate change negatively influences the earths living organisms-plants and animals. This has been clearly demonstrated by clearly seen species changes in their ranges as well as their ecosystem edges, changes in reproduction sequence and complexity in species interactions. It is worth mentioning that climate effect on plants and animals greatly varies between the various geographic realms, between ecosystems and individual species (Reid, 2006)
Climate change
Climate Change refers to the sudden change of the weather patterns. Climate is defined as the statistical distribution of weather over a definite period of time this ranges from centuries to millions of years (European Communities, 2009). Therefore, climate change is the changing distribution of the weather patterns that affects the normal weather distribution affecting the whole world or a specific region.
There are several causes of climate change (global warming) and are divided into two main categories; natural and human factors. Some natural causes of global warming includes the volcanic eruption, ocean currents, change in ultraviolet radiation, reflectivity, the wobbling of the earth, high solar intensity that keeps increasing, changes in solar systematic, change in galaxy positions and other factors that are as a result of human imposed factors.
Human activities also results to climate change which in turn affects the environment. Activities such as deforestation, burning of wastes, burning of fossil fuel, urbanization, use of chemicals, industrialization are among the activities that results to alteration of climate.
Impact of climate change to plants and animals
It has been acknowledged that measuring accurately the impact of climate change to both plants and animal is not an easy task. Fortunately, there are some obvious indicators that usually help scientist establish such impact with some degree of precision; these include; species changes in their ranges as well as their ecosystem edges, changes in reproduction sequence and complexity in species interactions, reduction in species number, high rates of extinction among others (Mosomane, 2006).
With the understanding that plant support animal life, in cases where climate negatively impact on vegetations indeed animal distribution will be restricted to certain regions where the plants that are their sources of food are available. Additionally, animals are either directly or indirectly sensitive to climatic changes, for this reason, they will only inhabit those regions that it is within their tolerance zones
Generally speaking, climate change affects species ranges, changes in phenology, changes in species interactions, increase cases of extinction. The following two case studies will help demonstrate the impact of climate change to plants and animals.
A diagram showing association of plants, animals and the environment
The diagram below is a simple interrelationship between plants-animals and the environment. Human have been left out purposively for simplistic purposes. Indeed human interacts with these three aspects. Both plants and animals interact forming full associations within there surrounding an environment.
SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT
Case 1- Great Barrier Reef
According to Bowen & Bowen, (2002) the Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef in known to the world. It is made up of close to 3,000 reefs and 1,000 islands covering an area of approximately 345,000km2. In 1981, it was selected as a world heritage site and named as among the Seven Wonders of the World by CNN. For purposes of protection, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects the wonderful site.
Ecologically, before the unusual climate change that is being experience, the reef supported a diverse of plant and animal life encompassing those that are categorized as endangered, endemic or vulnerable (Vellinga & Wood, 2002). Literature has it that the reef inhabits a whooping thirty species of porpoises, dolphins and whales. A bigger proportion of dugongs are also found in the reef.
Numerous species of sea turtles periodically visit this ecosystem for breeding purposes, nonetheless, the green turtle have two different population that inhabit the northern and the southern parts. Additionally, various species of sea grasses which provide a suitable habitat for the fish and attract turtles and dugongs contribute to diversity of the ecosystem. The salt marshes and mangrove forest is an ideal environment for the saltwater crocodiles. Sharks, chimaeras, stingrays and skates are found in abundance.
Various birds’ species were also found in abundance, in total over 210 species of birds. Close to 2,200 plant species are supported by the ecosystem. Close to 20 species of sea snakes inhabit the reef. Fish are also in abundance as one can identify over 1,400 species. Coral species including hard and soft also inhabit the ecosystem.
Over the years, the issue of climate change has been viewed by the park’s authority to be the ...
University:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Introduction
The paper critically examines using specific examples the potential impact of climate change on plants and animal community within Australia as well as other parts of the world. An understanding what of climate change is all about will be brought forth in the discussion. Additionally, the interaction of plant, animals and their environment will also be discussed in detail. The impact of climate change is well addressed by considering the ecosystem in question in two ways, before and after the climate change.
According to Andrewartha, 1954 all living organisms, this include plants and animals depend directly on climate that dictates the conditions under which they thrive best. Organisms will inhabit those regions that meet their habitat requirement which include food, cover, and breeding site among others.
The world’s climate has undergone over the years some significant temperature changes, warm and cool. Despite this fact, the present global warming is much more an unusual.
Unfortunately, drastic changes in climate as a result of human and natural causes have left these organisms (plants and animals) at a disadvantage as their habitat requirements are being continuously affected hence confining their distribution (Groombridge, 1992). Climate change has been documented to be the greatest challenge facing mankind at present.
It is no doubt that climate change negatively influences the earths living organisms-plants and animals. This has been clearly demonstrated by clearly seen species changes in their ranges as well as their ecosystem edges, changes in reproduction sequence and complexity in species interactions. It is worth mentioning that climate effect on plants and animals greatly varies between the various geographic realms, between ecosystems and individual species (Reid, 2006)
Climate change
Climate Change refers to the sudden change of the weather patterns. Climate is defined as the statistical distribution of weather over a definite period of time this ranges from centuries to millions of years (European Communities, 2009). Therefore, climate change is the changing distribution of the weather patterns that affects the normal weather distribution affecting the whole world or a specific region.
There are several causes of climate change (global warming) and are divided into two main categories; natural and human factors. Some natural causes of global warming includes the volcanic eruption, ocean currents, change in ultraviolet radiation, reflectivity, the wobbling of the earth, high solar intensity that keeps increasing, changes in solar systematic, change in galaxy positions and other factors that are as a result of human imposed factors.
Human activities also results to climate change which in turn affects the environment. Activities such as deforestation, burning of wastes, burning of fossil fuel, urbanization, use of chemicals, industrialization are among the activities that results to alteration of climate.
Impact of climate change to plants and animals
It has been acknowledged that measuring accurately the impact of climate change to both plants and animal is not an easy task. Fortunately, there are some obvious indicators that usually help scientist establish such impact with some degree of precision; these include; species changes in their ranges as well as their ecosystem edges, changes in reproduction sequence and complexity in species interactions, reduction in species number, high rates of extinction among others (Mosomane, 2006).
With the understanding that plant support animal life, in cases where climate negatively impact on vegetations indeed animal distribution will be restricted to certain regions where the plants that are their sources of food are available. Additionally, animals are either directly or indirectly sensitive to climatic changes, for this reason, they will only inhabit those regions that it is within their tolerance zones
Generally speaking, climate change affects species ranges, changes in phenology, changes in species interactions, increase cases of extinction. The following two case studies will help demonstrate the impact of climate change to plants and animals.
A diagram showing association of plants, animals and the environment
The diagram below is a simple interrelationship between plants-animals and the environment. Human have been left out purposively for simplistic purposes. Indeed human interacts with these three aspects. Both plants and animals interact forming full associations within there surrounding an environment.
SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT
Case 1- Great Barrier Reef
According to Bowen & Bowen, (2002) the Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef in known to the world. It is made up of close to 3,000 reefs and 1,000 islands covering an area of approximately 345,000km2. In 1981, it was selected as a world heritage site and named as among the Seven Wonders of the World by CNN. For purposes of protection, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects the wonderful site.
Ecologically, before the unusual climate change that is being experience, the reef supported a diverse of plant and animal life encompassing those that are categorized as endangered, endemic or vulnerable (Vellinga & Wood, 2002). Literature has it that the reef inhabits a whooping thirty species of porpoises, dolphins and whales. A bigger proportion of dugongs are also found in the reef.
Numerous species of sea turtles periodically visit this ecosystem for breeding purposes, nonetheless, the green turtle have two different population that inhabit the northern and the southern parts. Additionally, various species of sea grasses which provide a suitable habitat for the fish and attract turtles and dugongs contribute to diversity of the ecosystem. The salt marshes and mangrove forest is an ideal environment for the saltwater crocodiles. Sharks, chimaeras, stingrays and skates are found in abundance.
Various birds’ species were also found in abundance, in total over 210 species of birds. Close to 2,200 plant species are supported by the ecosystem. Close to 20 species of sea snakes inhabit the reef. Fish are also in abundance as one can identify over 1,400 species. Coral species including hard and soft also inhabit the ecosystem.
Over the years, the issue of climate change has been viewed by the park’s authority to be the ...
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