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What are the implications on biodiversity from climate change? Well, we have learned so far that there are many negative and positive effects that climate change has on wildlife. To fully understand climate change we have to look at the good and the bad. For instance, the increase in climate change has resulted in many animals to thrive. The white tailed deer is now able to move northward as humans start making communities in the northern parts of the province. This is called the "edge effect" which the deer love. Some more positive affects is the increased food availability. Because of climate change there is a longer growing season which helps farmers but also the wildlife that need to graze. Plants are also able to reach full maturity before winter.
The "edge effect" is resulting in an overpopulation of deer in many parts of Canada, and more specifically, Manitoba. Overpopulation is in fact bad because they are eating other creatures food so they have a lower chance of survival. We can fix this problem by implementing a "Population Management" program (or perhaps using sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads) to decrease the deer population and restore balance in many of the affected habitats.
Many of the negative affects are some that everyone already knows about. Polar Bears, coral reef, caribou, honey bees; these are all examples of animals whose habitats are destroyed by climate change and human negligence. Some animals that are not as well known to have been affected by climate change are migratory birds and butterflies. The migratory birds and the monarch butterflies are returning far too early so their habitats are not prime for their survival. The times that they are arriving have a higher risk of cold conditions resulting in frost and the decreased food availability. To be specific, the monarch butterfly is very sensitive to cold conditions. These species are missing out on blooming dates that are important in their web. The dwarf milkweed is the main source of food for the monarch but the times they are arriving are way too early so they are dying out before the milkweed's blooming season.
To come up with this information, my group for our school's inquiry project on wildlife came up with little questions then assigned them to each of our group members. We researched the answers then we combined them to come up with our generalized question to make this blog post. This question helps to answer many of the common questions about wildlife/ biodiversity and climate change.
-Kara Melvin
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6 Comment(s)
Hi Kara
I liked your post. It was very informative and really showed the negatives and even the positives of climate change. It makes this post interesting because many people often think of climate change as a bad thing, its very intriguing to look at this issue from a different perspective, but also shows that impacts it having on different organisms. Good Job!! :)
Reading your post, I believe it was really well done. I love how you pointed out both the negatives and positives of your topic. To me, doing this, gave a better understanding of what is going on. Your post was quite informative and, in all, I found it quite intriguing. Though, if I would have one concern, it would be that if 'biodiversity' was your topic, there should've been a bit more on plant life as well as wildlife. It's fine since wildlife is clearly your main topic, though perhaps this could have been implicated more through the monarch's and deer's habitats. Anyways, keep up the good work! You've done great! d(O.o)b
I agree! I may have skimped out on the biodiversity part. When I get more information pertaining to the topic, I will add it. :)
Thanks for the comment!
Great post! Your post really points out the pros and cons that climate change has on biodiversity. However, you also point out that what can be a really good thing to some species such as the deer, is a really bad thing to other species such as the monarch butterfly. For my inquiry assignment, I have been researching the benefits of adding rooftop gardens/ farms to every rooftop in a city in order to combat climate change. Not only does this method greatly help in regulating climate, these rooftop gardens/farms also provide a new habitat for wildlife. With the aid of gardeners, ecologists and scientists, we could perhaps plant plants (such as the milkweed) that are valuable sources of food for wildlife affected by climate change and somehow temporarily make the environment suitable enough for these plants to bloom at the correct point in season which in turn, helps the endangered wildlife. I hope that maybe you can utilize my "idea" at one point in time to help solve the issue between wildlife and climate change!
First off, great post, very informative and knowledgeable. You bring an interesting point of view to the table with the positive effects of climate change and the plants and animals that are able to thrive in a warmer climate. I personally never thought off that, I immediately go straight to the negatives, but the negative aspects definitely outweigh the positives, as I think everyone would agree.
Keep up the good work, and good luck with the rest of your research.
Hello Kara,
I found your post very interesting to read especially where you talk about the overpopulation of deer. It would be great if you could expand further on the proposed "population management" program that you spoke of. It is a good idea and could be a primary solution.
How would this program intend to manage/control the increasing population of the deer in many parts of Canada while exploring other alternatives of food that they might feed on?
Hope to hear from you!
Hi Jamila,
A couple years ago, I talked with some wildlife biologists and they said that an efficient way of helping with the overpopulation problem is to simply extend the hunting season. My region in particular has many willing hunters, but I know that many people are against hunting. I am looking into other ways that could work to reduce the population, but I am afraid that the most reasonable and most cost-effective way is to extend the hunting season.
Thank you so much for the comment and if I find out any more about this topic I will add it to the blog post. :)
Hi Kara & team,
I think using sharks with laser beams attached to their heads would be a great idea for population control! Only problem... they don't exactly live in the same natural habitats, so maybe hard to bring the two species in close proximity to each other? Haha!
A couple of resources to help you out in your Inquiries:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/wildlife-habitat...
http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/species/
I can't wait to hear what you guys come up with!
Jessica (program assistant @ GreenLearning)
Kendra Williams
Apr 3, 2017