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Charles Darwin’s About the origin of species was first published in 1859, introducing much of the world to the theory of evolution. By this time, he had managed to get through most of the first industrial revolution and see the other side of it. He lived among the chimneys and mills of a Londoner described by Charles Dickens, at a time when the world’s most industrialized powers were using the bodies of indigenous peoples to Africa, Central America, India, and many others of their natural resources – disrupting ecosystems and leading to extinction of species. And while humanity stands up human rights has largely evolved, our impact on plant and animal life on Earth is devastating. Habitat extinction and destruction happen naturally, but our growing understanding of the impact of climate change on the world around us has only highlighted how dire it is.
Our understanding of natural selection has also grown, and this knowledge has been essential in helping us understand the vectors of climate change. Most of us have seen pictures of emaciated polar bears languishing as the polar ice caps melt, but that’s just one flashpoint in a world full of them. Despite the density and amazingly specialized roles of many animals, most ecosystems are not susceptible to major disturbances without an invasive species-scale crisis, major disease, or catastrophic change in sea level, temperature or weather patterns. There are more than 700 species birds and mammals who directly feel the negative effects of climate change. These are just some of their stories, but each offers perspective on both the delicacy and flexibility of the world’s ecosystems.
There is a direct line of descent from the polar bear to the Brown bear, and they remain quite similar in build, save for the polar bear’s snow-white fur. Despite this, it’s only been 1.5 million years since the family line split. It reminds us how quickly a small genetic variation and the promise of abundant and available prey can completely change the dynamics of an ecosystem. It’s also a reminder of how quickly these specialized creatures can descend from healthy populations to endangered species and become extinct when their environment is disturbed.
The loss of an apex predator would have devastating effects on virtually any environment and, under normal circumstances, could lead to population explosions in prey, an increase in the spread of disease and possible famine. Under normal circumstances, a new order would be formed. But according to current estimates, the effects of climate change will increase the permanent ice of the Arctic whole. It’s a ripple effect that can endanger animals as wide as: moose, walruses, and the polar fox – own one threatened kind.
Some of these animals can learn to adapt by moving south and either crowding out or adapting to the existing ecosystem. Unfortunately, the polar bear probably won’t be one of them. Polar bears rely on large prey such as harp seals to survive. While polar bears flee, they are in the territory of grizzly bears – who are both perfectly capable of defending their territory and able to survive on a significantly more omnivorous diet.
Mosquitoes: A Deadly Beneficiary of Climate Change
While it can be easy to put the ups and downs of evolution in moralistic terms, there are winners and losers for the effects of climate change — at least in the short term. Mosquitoes thrive in warm and humid environments. Rising sea levels, unusual rainfall patterns and climbing temperatures all contribute to an environment that is much more pleasant for these little vampires. 2021 brought both the hottest summer ever recorded in the United States and a marked spike in mosquito populations.
Unfortunately, a victory for mosquitoes is a loss for humans. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals to humans – with more than a million deaths a year attributed to diseases spread by mosquitoes. That’s a serious public health risk for communities already dealing with infected mosquitoes — but as temperatures warm at higher elevations, mosquitoes will gain access to previously inaccessible ecosystems where they could impact an invasive species and decimate it. communities of people who have not had to develop immunity to diseases such as malaria and Zyka, nor the infrastructure to deal with such a public health emergency.
But a 2019 study published in Communications Biology suggested an even more concerning effect on mosquitoes from global warming. They found through 200 million years of modeling that the rate at which mosquitoes mutate and thus evolve increases dramatically in tandem with both rising temperatures and CO2 levels. More mosquito breeds means more mosquitoes in general, but it can also bring new diseases and the ability to survive in more environments.
Elephants: a crucial player in African habitats
There are some clear and notable differences between African and Asian elephants, but both are critically endangered species that face many of the same daunting challenges. Both are hunted by human poachers looking for ivory, and the expansion of human agriculture, industry and infrastructure has broken their natural habitats.
Elephants are the largest land mammals, and an African elephant’s habitat can stretch for 3,000 miles. Wandering herds can contain up to 70 elephants, and these big boys have big appetites. Under normal circumstances, elephants are essentially the gardeners of Africa Sahara and Namibia deserts. Elephants cut down trees to feed and tear apart limbs to use as tools, transforming the forest into thickets and creating environments that can be adapted to a wider variety of smaller life. Their heavy hooves crush long grass, so the shorter grass is preferred wildebeest and other grazers can grow.
Elephants provide fertilizer for plants to grow and propagate the seeds themselves — and they even bring water to the desert by digging wells. But global warming and disturbing rainfall patterns are jeopardizing elephants’ ability to perform these tasks. An investigation into droughts at the border of Kenya and Tanzania in 2007 and 2009 both saw populations of large mammals — including elephants — collapse. Africa is no stranger to drought, but climate change has led to a greater increase in dry precipitation patterns. It also brings with it invasive plant species. At our current pace, it is impossible to know whether it is poachers or the weather that kills elephants first.
Coyotes: a lesson in respecting habitats
If an animal less than the cockroach is expected to survive climate change, it might as well coyote. This smart dog already has a history of getting the best of us. By the 19th century, America’s aggressive expansion westward was well under way to the extent that ranchers and ranchers were destroying the traditional prey of wolves and the wolves had turned to domesticated livestock as prey instead. Under pressure from stakeholders, the federal government launched a campaign to exterminate wolves. They almost succeeded and wolf populations began to recover.
But this campaign left an absence that the coyotes — at least close cousins of the wolf — adapted well to. They excelled so well that they expanded from a relatively small habitat in the American Southwest to every US state except… Hawaii. Federal and private organizations have conducted regular eradication campaigns against coyotes, and about half a million are killed almost every year. Ironically, we could just keep the problem going. Coyotes have proliferated so miraculously because they fit comfortably into most habitats and effectively control populations of smaller animals such as mice and squirrels. Recent research suggests that the random killing of coyotes only destroys these stable family units and speeds up both breeding and expansion.
Climate change drives coyotes and other predators like bears en masse into the cities. Whether it’s because of wildfires or drought, coyotes survive quite capably in urban and suburban environments — though they don’t really thrive and often eat waste out of desperation. Coyotes still avoid humans and generally pose no threat, but they are in 91% of cities in the United States and we doubt they’re going anywhere anytime soon. To deal with climate change, we must not only try to minimize the root causes, but also learn to live closer to some aspects of nature than ever before.
Migratory birds: an increasingly expensive journey
Flights are expensive. Even with wings that have been in development for 150 million years, bones designed to minimize their weight, and conservation techniques like swooping, birds consume a lot of energy during the flight. Fortunately, they return that energy to the environment by spreading seeds and pollinating flowers. In the case of migratory species, their impact can affect not only their current habitat and destination, but also anywhere in between. The two ecosystems at the ends of the migration point depend on birds to arrive at certain times — to pollinate flowers, serve as food, or control populations of smaller birds and insects. And in between these birds also refresh the ecosystems by spreading seeds.
Major weather and temperature changes have affected the time of travel patterns for migratory birds, forcing some species not known for their prolonged migration – such as the common flamingo — adopt migration. And while some studies indicate that natural selection is breeding smaller birds that are better equipped to handle rising sea levels and temperatures, things are already quite dire. A 2019 report from the National Audubon Society revealed that overall bird populations in North America have fallen by almost 30% since 1970. It is a trend that is not slowing down, as many species could disappear completely with no mating grounds to retreat to. Even if the world can do without birds, it will be a much less diverse place.
Next one: 8 Red Cat Breeds And Red Cat Names
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