Does Climate Change Influence Biodiversity?

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Does Climate Change Influence Biodiversity?
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• What is biodiversity?

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• Have the species that are here today always been
  here?
• Will the species that are here today always be
  here?

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Threat Status of Species
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Background

• Extinction is a part of life on earth. It is
  estimated that 99 of species that have ever
  lived on Earth are now extinct. . .
• However, the decline in the biodiversity (the
  number of different species of organisms on
  Earth) that has occurred in the last few decades
  is rapidly declining (much faster than the normal
  extinction rate) and this has many scientists
  concerned.

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• What factors may be influencing this more rapid
  decline of species and making them more
  vulnerable to becoming extinct?

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• Why should we care?

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• In 2002 a Convention on Biological Diversity was
  held in The Hague, Netherlands, to address
  threats to Earths ecosystems. Given the state
  of rainforest deforestation, habitat destruction,
  and predicted global climate change, world
  leaders promised to strengthen our efforts to
  halt biodiversity loss, which is taking place at
  an alarming rate . . .

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• Climate change seems to be a major driver of the
  loss of biodiversity, and it is predicted to have
  an even greater impact in the decades to come.
  Melting Arctic sea ice, ocean acidification,
  warming temperatures, extreme weather, and rising
  sea levels will have a devastating effect on some
  species.

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Your Task

• For your work on the United States Panel on
  Global Climate Change Research, you and your team
  of ecologists and environmental scientists have
  been studying some of the most exotic places on
  Earth.
• Team members have scuba-dived around massive
  colorful coral reefs, studied deep ocean water,
  hiked through rainforests and collected soil
  samples.

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• One important area of research on global climate
  change is the study of how climate might affect
  biodiversity.

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• Your team is tasked with researching the
  predicted climate changes and the corresponding
  impact, if any, that the change will have on
  biodiversity. Your team must report both the
  changes and consequences.

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• In order to present accurate, complete, and valid
  findings, you should consider the following
• What do the data indicate about Earths
  biodiversity? Identify any trends that occurred
  in biodiversity.
• What are the impacts of changes to Earths
  physical environments on species diversity?
  Remember to report the impacts to humans,
  wildlife, ecosystems, etc. . .

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• What appears to be the source/s of the changes?
  Can you identify a major cause?
• What are the impacts of changes in Earths
  biodiversity?
• What strategies do you see that could mitigate or
  lessen decreased species diversity? How long
  would the strategies take to make a difference?