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When the giant flightless birds called moa were overexploited to the point of extinction, [5] the giant Haast's eagle that preyed on them also became extinct. [6]The concern about overexploitation, while relatively recent in the annals of modern environmental awareness, traces back to ancient practices embedded in human history.
The effects that climate change has on both plant and animal species within certain ecosystems has the ability to directly affect the human inhabitants who rely on natural resources. Frequently, the extinction of plant and animal species create a cyclic relationship of species endangerment in ecosystems which are directly affected by climate ...
When estimating the effect of climate change on species' extinction risk, the report concluded that global warming of 2 °C (3.6 °F) over the preindustrial levels would threaten an estimated 5% of the Earth's species with extinction even in the absence of any other factors like land use change. If the warming reached 4.3 °C (7.7 °F), they ...
Climate change is likely to favour some invasive species and harm others, [161] but few authors have identified specific consequences of climate change for invasive species. [162] Invasive species and other disturbances have become more common in forests in the last several decades. These tend to be directly or indirectly connected to climate ...
Overall, the effects of climate change increase stress on ecosystems, and species unable to cope with the rapidly changing conditions will go extinct. [28] While modern climate change is caused by humans, past climate change events occurred naturally and have led to extinctions. [29]
Habitat destruction through natural processes such as volcanism, fire, and climate change is well documented in the fossil record. [2] One study shows that habitat fragmentation of tropical rainforests in Euramerica 300 million years ago led to a great loss of amphibian diversity, but simultaneously the drier climate spurred on a burst of ...
The main drivers of the species' extinction were habitat destruction and overhunting. On top of anthropogenic activities, the deforestation that put passenger pigeons at risk was also catalyzed by the invasive chestnut blight, which greatly reduced the number of American chestnut trees in North America. [25]
Climate change and the associated changing weather patterns occurring worldwide have a direct effect on biology, population ecology, and the population of eruptive insects, such as the mountain pine beetle. This is because temperature is a factor which determines insect development and population success. [87]