5.3.5Unit 5: Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology
How Climate Change Affects Species — IAL Edexcel Linear Revision Notes & Topical Questions
5 min read 5 parts Lesson 29 of 36 Unit quiz
Section 1 of 5Changes to Climate Patterns
Extreme weather
- Heatwaves become hotter and longer, and storms can become more violent as the atmosphere gains energy.
Rainfall
- Warmer air holds more moisture, so some places receive heavier rain while others receive less.
Ocean currents
- Changes in ocean currents can alter local climates, for example a current that now warms a coast could change.
Ice and sea level
- Polar ice and glaciers are retreating, and sea level rises because warm water expands and ice melts.
Section 2 of 5Effects on Distribution
Effects on Distribution
Movement
- Many animals move towards the poles or to higher altitudes to stay within a suitable temperature range.
Competition
- Arriving species may compete with those already present, and this can reduce biodiversity in the habitat.
Slow movers
- Plants cannot move quickly, so some species may not spread fast enough to keep up and may become extinct.
Habitat loss
- Species adapted to cold conditions, such as those relying on summer sea ice, lose their habitat as it shrinks.
Section 3 of 5Effects on Water and Timing
1
Changes to rainfall can harm species that depend on seasonal rains, such as desert plants that need water only once a year.
2
If rainfall fails, species may migrate to a new habitat or die out where they cannot adapt.
3
Warmer springs make plants flower earlier and animals breed earlier in the year.
4
Food webs can become mismatched when a migrating bird arrives after the insects it feeds on have already peaked.
5
A shift in timing of one species therefore disrupts the species that depend on it.
Section 4 of 5Wider Consequences
Biodiversity
- Combined changes in habitat, competition and food supply can reduce the number of species in an area.
Human impact
- Loss of glacier ice can reduce water supplies for people and wildlife that rely on meltwater.
Coastal flooding
- Rising sea level puts coastal habitats and communities at greater risk of being flooded.
Evidence
- Observed shifts in ranges and seasonal events provide evidence that species are already responding to change.
Section 5 of 5Exam Checklist & Tips
5.3.5 – Key Points for the Exam
- Biodiversity The variety of species, and of genetic variation, in a habitat or on Earth.
- Distribution Where a species is found.
- Migration Seasonal movement of animals from one habitat to another.
- Extinction The complete loss of a species.
Common Mistakes
- Saying animals adapt during their lifetimes to the new temperature;
- individuals either move or the species changes only by natural selection over generations.
- Forgetting that sea level rise comes from both melting ice and expansion of warming water.
- Stating that all places become drier; rainfall rises in some regions and falls in others.
- Describing the effect on a species without linking it to a cause such as food supply, habitat or competition.
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