How Does Climate Change Affect Animals?

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From the dawn of the dinosaur to modern day times, animals have been going extinct since their conception on Earth billions of years ago. With the ever overwhelming threat of climate change, many things in nature are at risk for becoming nonexistent. The phrase climate change possess a number of factors that contribute to environmental changes. “For climate change, relevant variables include temperature, precipitation and related variables, as well as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which exert important direct effects on organisms in both terrestrial and marine environments“ (Hannah 143). Over the past century, Earth’s average temperature has risen about one degree… temperatures may rise by an additional two to ten degrees by the end …show more content…
With impending temperature changes, scientist can already see how increasing degrees affect plant and animal species. These temperature changes create an inhospitable environment for many of the animals who cannot adapt, especially-large bodied mammals. In a 2003 study of 1,500 plant and animal species studied, 1,200 showed changes consistent with effects scientists would consider temperature-related. (Than n.p.). The world has the capability to appear completely different in the next fifty years, with many of the animals we know and love gradually disappearing. Estimates of extinction could reach up to 29%, depending upon the area and the biome the animal resides in. (Thomas et al. 146). When a particular area is not suitable for an animal’s habitat anymore, they often will migrate to an area that is more accommodating. In Lee Hannah’s book titled Saving a Million Species: Extinction Risk from Climate Change, he informs the public, “In general, it is clear that migration was an important coping mechanism for both mammal and plant taxa during global warming” (166). Often times, the only way for species to continue survival is through moving, but the creature often cannot do so. Due to rising temperatures, many species attempt to migrate northward, but the presences of humans is making this more difficult (Than n.p.). Animals look for a cooler environment to thrive in, but new …show more content…
Many of Earth’s biosphere is contained in the ocean, and with rising temperatures on Earth, the oceans and other large bodies of water also increase in temperature. This causes species to take over other areas, categorizing them as invasive species. Invasive species are more successful than native species in aquatic environments during elevated temperatures (Dapeng & Peishan 966). In studies done with crawfish, scientists discovered behavioral effects directly related with changing environments for invasive and native species. After exposing the crawfish to water tanks, then increasing the temperature, aggressiveness and activity increased tenfold with a minimal amount of temperature change (Dapeng & Peishan 968). Eventually, invasive aquatic species will overtake the environment and native species will become scarce, and possibly die out, which is just another piece of evidence relaying the connection between climate change and the extinction of animal species. Global warming impacts all aquatic ecosystems, such as plants, fish, and coral reefs (Beckrich

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