Introduction
Climate change and its impact on biodiversity can be traced through the investigation of the ongoing transformations in the various ecosystems such as marine and forest environmental structures. Climate change affects human society as well, which can be easily demonstrated by the changes in agricultural practices (Moss et al. 750). The topic of the environmental transformation and its effects has been examined for decades and all the available data is considered in forecasting and designing different scenarios.
The fundamental factor – an adaptation of humanity to the changing environment – justifies the necessity for an investigation of the climate transformation and its outcomes about biodiversity and the human population. This essay’s primary objective is to trace and evaluate the impact of climate change on biological diversity through the lens of transformations in the marine and forest ecosystems and evaluation of the agricultural sector both as an affected party and as one of the major contributors to the adverse effects associated with climate change.
Farming and Biodiversity
The effect of environmental changes on farming relates to economic and survival issues. In the agricultural sector, as well as in the various ecosystems of our planet, the main concern, associated with climate change, is the growing level of carbon dioxide and how it affects the cultivation of crops. Depending on the region, the changes in temperature can have both positive and negative impact: “small beneficial impact on rainfed crop fields may be found in mid- and high-latitude regions with moderate-to-medium local increases in temperature along with the associated carbon dioxide increase and rainfall changes” (Rosenzweig et al. par. 8). On the other hand, the same conditions in the low-latitude areas have an unfavorable effect on crops.
The models of climate change on agriculture have to be developed with the greenhouse emission patterns and temperature rise is taken into account because the environmental transformations may significantly affect the provision of security. At the same time, the growing population of the Earth and, as a result, the increase in the food demand leads to the spreading of single-crop farms, which in turn contributes to the reduction of biodiversity. The artificial vegetation, introduction, and application of genetically modified species have adverse effects on various ecosystems as well.
Consequences of Climate Change on Marine Ecosystems
The increase of carbon dioxide levels triggers the increase of the atmosphere and water temperature that in turn influences the changes in wind, rainfall, and drainage patterns. Besides, a high level of carbon dioxide in the air leads to the accumulation of gas in water which results in acidification of the oceans: “Sea-surface pH is estimated to have dropped by 0.1 pH units since the preindustrial era, a 26% increase in acidity over the past 150 years. Future projections suggest declines of an additional 0.2-0.3 pH units over this century” (Doney et al. par. 8). This process has extremely negative an impact on the biological life of the oceans such as diminishing of “reef accretion” and forcing “coral reefs into a negative carbonate balance” (Hoegh-Guldberg and Bruno 1526).
The transformation of climate affects the biodiversity of various organisms and the marine ecosystems and has both estimated and unexplored outcomes on the ocean and the environment. “We can expect poleward species migrations that could reorganize traditional cold-adapted biomes, change biodiversity, and increase food-web complexity, with direct impact on carbon transfer within the polar ecosystem and enhanced connectivity with the global ocean system” (Doney et al. par. 38).
Therefore, the organization of life in the marine ecosystems, along with the contiguous environments such as coastal, will change, which brings transformations of human society. For example, the alternated biological and climate patterns may force a particular part of the population that gets used to the previous ecological conditions to move to other regions that have a more habitual environment.
Forest Ecosystems
In comparison with the other ecosystems, trees are positively affected by the increase of the carbon dioxide level because they consume gas, which has an invigorating effect on their growth. Moreover, timberlands have a beneficial influence on the biological life of the forest ecosystems and the environment as a whole. For example, with drainage and casting shadows trees to lower the temperature and decrease erosion in the woods. Although the negative impact of carbon dioxide on climate, which includes weather changes, storms, and droughts leads the forest’s adaptation to them and changing biodiversity within ecosystems.
As an illustration, insufficient water supply and high temperatures “can lead to growth decline and increased mortality” (Silva and Anand 84). However, the effect of climate change depends on the latitude. For example, the connection between intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and growth rate differs from one region to other: Alpine trees, as well as the Mediterranean and boreal timberlands, demonstrate an increase in growth which is associated with the expansion of iWUE. At the same time, subtropical and tropical forests “indicate a negative association between iWUE and tree growth rate” (Silva and Anand 87).
While a high amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has a positive effect on the timberlands’ growth in several regions, the imbalance of other factors, which includes the water supply and changes in weather patterns, stimulates the adaptation processes that have a particular impact on the biodiversity of the forest ecosystems. “The forecasted global warming and fire increase may trigger irrecoverable biodiversity losses and shifts in vegetational composition within a few decades or centuries at most” (Lindner et al. 703). For example, plants, more tolerant of the higher temperature rates, become more widespread in the forests while the cold-sympathetic species gradually disappear.
Climate Change and Biodiversity
The environment change has a significant influence on biodiversity and, as a result, affects human society. A decrease in the vegetation biodiversity may “reduce plant production and alter decomposition” (Cardinale et al. 1). Moreover, changes in the species distinction within various ecosystems trigger climate transformations as well. This reciprocal process has been evaluated by Cardinale and his colleagues and it was concluded that “in areas where local species loss this century falls, negligible effects on biomass production will result, and changes in species richness will rank low relative to the effects projected for other environmental changes” (1). Therefore, observation and evaluation of the processes connected to climate altercation have to be seriously contemplated because even insignificant changes may have unpredicted implications.
Conclusion
The transformation of the environment contributes to metamorphosis in various ecological and biological domains. Changes in the forest and marine ecosystems, as well as in the agricultural patterns, demonstrate a significant impact on biodiversity. The species that move from one territory to another following the changing weather patterns, along with the animals and plants that adapt to climate transformation, inevitably lead to environmental changes. These reciprocal processes affect human society in various ways such as adaptation to new conditions, moving to more habitual areas, or changing the patterns of harmful activities which minimizes the adverse effects on the environment.
Works Cited
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