Climate Change and Population Ecology

What is a connection you can make between the chapter we just finished (Climate Change) and the one we’re starting (Population Ecology)? In other words, how does climate change affect populations of organisms, communities, or ecosystems? Please be specific with what organism. community or ecosystem you are discussing.

19 Responses

  1. mason g says:

    Climate change can affect the population of birds. They have to migrate early because it’s colder earlier and when they come back there is still snow on the ground so they might starve because the food that they eat is still covered by snow. And since it’s colder the food they eat might now grow as well until later in the season.

  2. Collin says:

    The organism I am discussing is frogs. The climate change is causing more droughts which means that frogs will move to more wet areas that they don’t usually go to. The dryer climate is starting to kill some of the frogs.

  3. jevin says:

    Well climate change causes events such as droughts which can make population have less food sources making there species shorten in size and making the other species that feed on that species also shorten in size.

  4. Emi says:

    Climate change affects each organism in various ways, Climate change can affect the way things grow, age, develop or evolve. Changes in the climate can cause different species to adapt in certain ways to combat climate change. Like maybe if the winters become heavily affected by climate change and become less cold and shorter, animals with thick winter fur coats will evolve over time to have a not as thick winter coat or maybe even not have a winter coat at all. Or maybe even plants will adapt to less sunlight or less water consumption and evolve to have a way to store water when it is most needed, similar to a cactus. I don’t exactly know what else to put so yeah, animals could lose their thick winter fur coats, plants could adapt to survive with less water or sun, humans evolve to have heat absorbing metal skin that will heat up after being in the sun in order to cook eggs on their chests.

  5. Mason D says:

    Climate change is affecting tiny organisms like frogs for example. With frogs being affected the entire frog population is affected and then following the nearby communities and ecosystem.

  6. Bella says:

    Climate change affects communities because if a community lives near one of the poles then as the Earth warms, those places get ruined and become dangerous. If you are made to live in a cold climate then you cannot live in a place that gets very high temperatures all year round.

    • Jennifer says:

      Bella,
      Can you give an example of how a community near one of the poles can get ruined?

      • Bella says:

        Lets use polar bears and fish as an example, polar bears live on ice sheets and glaciers. Fish live in the oceans that those ice sheets are on and the glaciers are near. When the ice starts to melt, they become dangerous for the bears and the bears end up dying. The bears cannot hunt the fish so the fish become overpopulated. Then, we have no more polar bears, not much ice, and too many fish.

      • Bella says:

        Let’s use polar bears and fish as an example. When the Earth warms up, then the ice sheets and glaciers that the polar bears live on start to melt. When the polar bears die out, then the fish become overpopulated. So, now we have no more polar bears, rising sea levels, too many fish, and no more pretty sights.

  7. dom says:

    mammals in warm dry ecosystems like africa will be hurt the worst when it comes to things like droughts and heatwaves. The global warming aspect of climate change will affect those climates the most. In wet low lying marshlands there is plenty of animals living in shallow freshwater that will be flooded with saltwater as the water levels rise, also rising above the land completely flooding the area.

  8. Caleb B says:

    Climate change can affect a population in many ways. One of these ways is the changes to water. If it gets too hot and water dries up, organisms might not be able to live. If the water is too acidic, certain organisms such as coral cannot live. Water is essential for life and if it is changed it will affect the organisms that rely on it. With how fast the climate is changing the organisms are not getting enough time to adapt.

  9. kendra :D says:

    Climate change can affect the deer population by drying out their water sources, and if they don’t find water fast, they will be forced to migrate to different places in search of water. Every species needs water, it’s a necessity to be able to survive. Since climate change is getting worse, more and more water sources will be drying out faster, which will cause a lot of problems for every species because it’s happening too fast for everybody to adapt to.

  10. Elizabeth says:

    Climate change is affecting the populations of countless creatures. The ocean is warming and the coral reefs are dying. The water gets too hot and the coral can’t sustain life anymore, when the coral dies, the things that inhabit it also die, then whatever eats the inhabitants doesn’t have anything to eat. And then the food chain is all messed up.

  11. Ben says:

    Climate change can affect polar bear communities by not only the melting of icebergs but the way they hunt for food. With the ice caps melting, food will become scarce for fish and from fish to seal and from seal to Polar bears. The reason why this would affect the food chain is the because of the increased temperature of the ocean. The temperature of the ocean would cause the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide to increase which would make the water acidic.

  12. Caitlin says:

    I’ve found that climate change affects polar bears and where they live. As global warming progresses the glaciers polar bears live on are melting which makes it harder to get from place to place to find food and shelter.

  13. Cole says:

    Climate change is ruining the polar bear population because it is melting the ice that they hunt fish/seals from so they have less hunting ground. It is also making it harder for the polar bears to hunt so the polar bears can possibly starve. The ice sheets shrinking makes the ecosystems harder to live in for the polar bears which is making the population decrease. The polar bears need the ice to hunt seals.

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