Due to the changing climate, some organisms may no longer be adapted to live in certain ecosystems anymore. Whether it be due to the change increase of temperature, change in precipitation, loss of habitat, or change in pH, some organisms will not be able to live in that area anymore because they are not adapted to the new conditions. Organisms need to adapt to survive in one of two ways, genetically or due to plasticity.
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Some organisms can undergo micro-evolution where organisms are born with mutations that allow them to better adapt. Organisms can be selected through mating because they already have a genetic trait that will help them survive. This takes time and could take numerous generations for the organism’s offspring to be better suited for their environment. In general, the earth’s climate is changing a rate that far faster than the processes of evolution. Other organisms rely on plasticity, or a short term response where an organism can adapt within their own lifetime. Plastic adaptations rely on the organism’s ability to adapt morphologically, physiologically, or behaviorally.
Some organisms have the ability to detect changes in their environment because of their dispersal patterns.
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Birds, insects, and marine invertebrates who travel and colonize in large groups tend to disperse in their areas. When slight changes to the temperature or pH of the habitat occurs, they become less dispersed and have more competition for the resources. Other times, the organism needs to move to new areas that they are more adapted for. These organisms who need to relocate due to environmental changes are at an increased risk of extinction.
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Due to the climate shift, global marine species distribution and marine biodiversity will decrease in sensitive regions.
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Shifts in marine species migrations due to projected warming will cause high latitude invasions and high local extinction rates in the tropics and semi-enclosed seas. With fish migrating to avoid sensitive areas, fisheries in higher latitudes are expected to observe a more species rich catch rate. By 2100, the ICPP predicts that the oxygen minimum zones, areas in which fish cannot survive, will continue to expand despite all mitigation strategies.
Other organisms that are being affected are those that are used for agriculture. Crops and other plant life that are very sensitive to change in temperature and water levels are already experiencing changes in their flowering stages. Some species of plants have advanced their flowering stage by approximately 5.1 days per decade for the past fifty years.
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Plants are responding to abiotic factors in the environment, such as temperature and rainfall. Some plants, like ragweed, are having a longer pollen seasons which has contributed to the increase of seasonal allergies and hay fever.
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These plants are also affected by drying trends and increased temperatures. Agriculture is being damaged by the lack of precipitation in some areas, causing a lack of food for many regions.
