Life is constantly in our daily lives and comes in many different forms. Inhabitants of life can range from humans to the many different types of animals, both aquatically and on land, including reptiles, insects, etc. Groups of people or animals live with each other based on similar habits and routines. Humans are creatures that habituate on land because they cannot survive living aquatically based on their inability to breath under water, in contrast to a species of fish, which vicariously live under water because of their ability to breath under water. This diversity of life is a phenomenon that is extremely fascinating and helps shape the way that the creatures of Earth live and prosper. When observing this “diversity” of life, it is often …show more content…
These levels of Earth include many different stages of ecosystems and the processes that withstand it. Ecosystems provide us with species that perform necessary steps in plant growth, such as pollination and dispersing seeds. Biodiversity includes every form of life including species that are: well known to us, endangered, and even those that we rarely see or hear anything about. The study of biodiversity includes living organisms that as normal human beings who do not study this for a living, have no idea that they even exist. These rare forms of life include the many different forms of fungi, microbes, and vertebrates/invertebrates that have not been thought about. Earth is such an evolving world that more organisms are forming constantly and biologists come aware of them through the important study of …show more content…
Strong climate changes are causing the ice that many mammals live on/under and travel on to melt and cause damage to the their homes. An article from an online website about Global Biodiversity recently said that the climate change is causing a reduction in the amount of ice resulting in rapid melting. Relating to biodiversity, “whole species assemblages are adapted to life on top of or under ice — from the algae that grow on the underside of multi-year ice, forming up to 25% of the Arctic Ocean’s primary production, to the invertebrates, birds, fish and marine mammals further up the food chain,” (Shah). Climate change will cause 25% of the Artic Ocean’s production to suffer completely, resulting in a downfall to the rest of the ecosystems around the world. If the ice continues to melt, the species will not be able to do their
Various glaciers in Alaska and other parts of the United States have shrunk dramatically. If temperatures continue to rise, the ice will continue to melt, and some glaciers could disappear completely, which causes sea levels to rise. There are many animals, birds, and seafood that depend solely on glaciers for survival. With an increase in sea water temperature, and increasing sea levels, sea-plants that these fish thrive on will be lost, lowering the number of seafood, which in-turn will make survival of many species difficult. The arctic is source region for cold ocean currents and with no ice it will have no density and temperature distinctions, which pushes the ocean currents. If the ocean current heat transfer mechanism powers down,
Global warming is the greatest challenge facing our planet. It is one of the widely discussed topics because global warming is a threat to all living things on Earth. The animals and people in the arctic are already experiencing this. The earth’s temperature dramatically increased during the past 50 years and now, ice caps are melting w...
The effects of global warming on earth's ecosystems are expected to deepen. The rise in temperature had made the life very difficult for many animal and plant species. Some common warning signs can be seen today. A recent study shows that changes due to global warming compel many animal species to migrate at a higher altitude. Some polar bears in arctic side are drowning because they have to swim longer distances to reach ice floes. In California, shoreline, sea life is moving towards north, as a result of warm water and change in
There are many facts proving that global warming exists. According to NASA, average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades (“Global Warming Fast Facts” 1). This obviously isn’t much, but it does prove that the earth is indeed getting warmer, hence “Global Warming”. And researchers say that not only is the earth getting warmer, but the rate at which it is heating up is increasing. In this century, the last two decades have been the earth’s hottest for 400 years, and possibly the warmest it has been for several millennia (“Global Warming Fast Facts” 1). This could mean many different things: one being that humans are contributing to this, or that the earth is going through a cycle. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years have been among the warmest since 1850 (“Global Warming Fast Facts” 1). But the Arctic is feeling the biggest effects. Average temperatures in Alaska, Canada, and parts of Russia have risen twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. By 2040, the Arctic may have its first ice-free summer, since ice is disappearing so rapidly (“Global Warming Fast Facts” 1). This can be bad for many of the animal inhabitants of this region, such as polar bears who ...
In November of 2004, a report by 250 scientists warned that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average, which threatens to wipe out several species including polar bears, and melt summer ice around the North Pole by 2100.4 One of the reasons for the increased warming is that the dark water and ground in the arctic soak up more heat from the atmosphere than ice or snow. The levels of carbon dioxide today are about 379ppm and increasing, a comparable level to 55 million years ago when there was no ice on the planet due to the warmth of the atmosphere.5 If the Greenland ice cap melts, the sea level will rise six or seven meters. Although this is a worst-case scenario, it seems clear that steps must be taken to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in our atmosphere.
Over the last 100 years, global temperatures have warmed by about 1.33 degrees Fahrenheit on average(Pappas). This small change in temperature can and most likely will have long term effects. All forms of life that made the colder regions of the earth their homes are in danger of extinction. As temperatures shift, penguins are shifting their breeding seasons, too. A March 2012 study found that Gentoo penguins are adapting more quickly to warmer weather, because they aren’t as dependent on sea ice for breeding as other species(Pappas). Decreased winter snowfall on mountaintops is allowing elk in northern Arizona to forage at higher elevations all winter, contributing to a decline in seasonal plants. Elk have ravaged trees such as maples and aspens, which in turn has led
It is an unquestioned fact that the climate is changing. There is abundant evidence that the world is becoming warmer and warmer. The temperature of the global land average temperature has increased by about 8.5 degrees centigrade from 1880 to 2012 (Karr, et al 406). The one or two degrees increase in temperature can cause dramatic and serious consequences to the earth as well as humans. More extreme weather occurs, such as heat waves and droughts. The Arctic Region is especially sensitive to global climate change. According to the data in recent decades, the temperature in the Arctic has increased by more than 2 degrees centigrade in the recent half century (Przybylak 316). Climate change has led to a series of environmental and ecological negative
The EPA describes climate change as any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time (Climate Change: Basic Information). The concept of climate change is one too familiar to one of the top artic predators, the polar bear (Ursus maririmus). Many people are aware that due to climate change, polar bears are experiencing extreme habitat loss in the form of melting ice sheets in the polar region. The Arctic is becoming warmer at a high rate, and contractions in the extent of sea ice are currently changing the habitats of marine top-predators dependent on ice (Prop 1). However, what many people don’t know is that the melting
In the past thirty-five years climate change has been a dilemma around the world, Earth’s surfaces temperatures are at an all-time high and continue to rise, thus triggering us to endure more problems further down the line. Due to the rise in earths temperatures sea ice in the arctic has thinned out and melted over the last several decades, since 1870 seal levels have risen by eight inches due to this crisis. Arctic sea ice is essential to the environment, it forms and grows white ice on top of the ocean reflecting the sun back to space. Polar regions depend on sea ice to keep cool throughout the year, it helps moderates global climate, and it influences the ocean circulation (Song 2012, 4074). Sea ice is vital for animal habitats in the Arctic,
In The Diversity of Life, Edward O. Wilson reflects on how the living world became diverse and how humans are destroying that diversity. In the book’s preface, Wilson defines biodiversity as “the totality of inherited variation in all organisms in a selected area” (Wilson ix). He adds that modern technology will allow for us to find many new species that were previously unknown to be in existence.
According to Envirolink, one of the most important stories right now is as follows: “The largest ice shelf in the Arctic, a solid feature for 3,000 years, has broken up, scientists in the United States and Canada said on Monday. Local warming of the climate is to blame, they said -- adding that they did not have the evidence needed to link the melting ice to the steady, planet-wide climate change known as global warming. Climate change has affected ocean temperature, salinity and flow patterns, which also influence the break-up of ice shelves in the Antarctic. "It's not just as simple as it gets x degrees warmer and the ice melts this much," Mueller said. Warmer temperatures weaken the ice, leaving it vulnerable to changed currents and other forces. This is due to the climate change, and if you are interested and want to read more go the Envirolink.” (Envirolink site)
The branch of science that deals with how living things, including humans, are related to their surroundings is called ecology . The Earth supports some 5 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. These interact and influence their surroundings, forming a vast network of interrelated environmental systems called ecosystems. The arctic tundra is an ecosystem and so is a Brazilian rain forest. The islands of Hawaii are a relatively isolated ecosystem. If left undisturbed, natural environmental systems tend to achieve balance or stability among the various species of plants and animals. Complex ecosystems are able to compensate for changes caused by weather or intrusions from migrating animals and are therefore usually said to be more stable than simple ecosystems. A field of corn has only one dominant species, the corn plant, and is a very simple ecosystem. It is easily destroyed by drought, insects, disease, or overuse. A forest may remain relatively unchanged by weather that would destroy a nearby field of corn, because the forest is characterized by greater diversity of plants and animals. Its complexity gives it stability.
The degradation of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity is increasing at an alarming rate every year. Humans are certainly not the only reason for this, but they are the main contributors. The well-being of ecosystems affects our everyday lives - consumption and consumerism depend on natural resources. Everything humans use is derived from them, in seemingly indirect and direct ways. Yet despite the fact that humans are destroying the environment, many continue to and neglect to take important measures to protect it.
Global warming is a serious problem with two major effects which are increasing in sea level and degradation of wild lives. Increase in sea level is affecting the entire landmass of the earth. According to NASA, the polar ice cap is melting at the alarming rate of nine percent per decade. Arctic ice thickness has decreased 40 percent since the 1960s (Oskin). The amount of water is more than the land in our planet. If this global warming continues at this pace, soon there will be no ground left on earth. The terrestrial animals will be exterminated from the earth if glo...
Scientists have begun to say that we have to do more to protect our ecosystem, because our very existence is depending upon it. When the ecosystem is not functioning properly the continuation of plant, animal and human life ecosystems would be impossible. Life cycles can not function without ecosystems. The ecosystem provides us with clean air, water, habitats for fish and other services. They also aid in the mod...