1) Do you think that the migration of species can really have that large of an effect on the earth and its ecosystems?
2) Is there any way you can think of that could have effected the scientists' tests to change the results of their study?
3) Could the fact that some species cannot migrate fast enough and those would die out leaving just the species that do have mobility be a positive thing?
I completely believe that the Earth's climate change is causing many species to migrate at increasingly fast rates. This is a great concern because everything in an ecosystem is interdependent on each other, thus if something happens to a species as a result of warming temperatures, everything in the ecosystem is affected. Therefore, climate change is hurting not only species forced to migrate, but the entire habitat. Similarly, if a species is forced to migrate into a new environment, what if this species causes harm in their new habitat? What if they end up destroying another species through competition over resources? There are very large implications of species migrating. I feel that species dying out because they are not able to migrate fast enough cannot be a positive thing. This is not an issue of survival of the fittest or evolution. Such drastic climate change is not natural, thus species dying is not a natural happening and could not be beneficial for the environment.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways it is actually good that some smaller ranged species are dying out because some of them really may end up being pests or invasive species. However, most species are not and are definitely vital to the food chain. Losing them could in fact lead to the extinction of the stronger dispersers, like birds, when they have no food left to eat. This is an enormous problem and most likely the largest problem we have in the planet environmentally. The migration itself could even effect humans as the animals begin to migrate to their homes, animals that do not exactly coexist with the human species very well. It could completely scramble the natural pattern of the earth as we know it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the migration of certain species can have a large impact on the environmental ecosystems around us, and how we interact with our world. For example with the earth's changing climate if a species of animal that generally does not have to migrate due to suitable conditions year long all of a sudden must adapt and migrate to a new location, some of the members of this species may not be able to adapt to a new climate and thus decrease the population. In terms of variables that could change the results of the scientists' findings many factors could contribute to a change in the movement of a species whether it be a natural disaster or habitat destruction. I believe that if we cause the extinction of a species that it was not by natural causes thus making the wiping out of a species by means of not being able to adapt or migrate a huge problem. If human caused global climate change results in the extinction of these animals due to not being able to migrate to a more suitable location then we as a global community have to work to fix the horrible way we have treated the earth.
ReplyDeleteI believe that any species on the Earth dying out or even adapting their lifestyle could and probably would have a larger than expected result. For example, ocean acidification is killing the pteropods which is leading to other species dying as well. A species of birds migrating away from an area could lead to an overpopulation of another species, thus damaging the environment even further. Any change can have a very big impact, positive or negative, on the environment.
ReplyDeleteThough change is a natural process, if it is sped up unnaturally by humans, then some species may not have time to evolve. If human-induced climate change is affecting the migration patterns of animals, then larger problems than we could think of could possible arise.
Its difficult to predict the impacts these migrations will have on the ecosystem. Like Nick B said, there can be positive effects like the prevention of the spread of invasive species if they can't migrate fast enough and die out. Yet there are several negative effects that can take place such as food chain disruption in an ecosytyem when a species migrates. One thing is for sure, these changes will impact earth and its ecosystems, but its difficult to say what kind if impacts will take place.
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