New Delhi: Have you ever encountered a climate change risk assessment for urban areas, regions, or nations? These assessments typically evaluate the potential impact of extreme weather events, the influence of global warming on the economy, and the repercussions of air quality changes on public health. However, have you ever encountered a similar assessment focused on wildlife?
In this article, let us look at the most vulnerable animal and plant species to climate change.
Animal and plant species most vulnerable to climate change
Polar Bears
Polar bears are in danger because the ice they rely on is disappearing due to climate change. This could affect their hunting, mating, and cub-raising, leading to conflict with humans.
Bramble Cay Melomys
The Bramble Cay Melomys, also known as the Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, recently went extinct due to climate change. This rodent, weighing only about 100 grams, was found only on the tiny island of Bramble Cay in the Great Barrier Reef. Rising sea levels destroyed its habitat, making it the first mammal to go extinct due to climate change.
Corals
Corals, some of the world’s most rapidly declining species, are decreasing in numbers due to mass bleaching, disease, and die-offs caused by rising ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. Thousands of coral species worldwide build ocean ecosystems that provide a home to more than a quarter of marine life.
Golden Toad
The golden toad, a bright orange-yellow toad species native to Costa Rica, also recently went extinct. It grew to about 8 centimetres long and lived in the elfin cloud forest ecosystem. The toads relied on the right amount of rain to reproduce, but changing weather patterns made it impossible for them to do so.
Chinook Salmon
The Chinook salmon, the largest salmon in the Pacific, is at risk due to climate change. Besides the threats from fishing and habitat degradation, rising ocean temperatures and reduced freshwater flow due to melting snow and glaciers make it difficult for these salmon to migrate from freshwater streams to the ocean. Warmer water temperatures also make salmon more susceptible to predation, parasites, and disease.
Green Sea Turtle
The green sea turtle has more female hatchlings because warmer temperatures affect their eggs. This could threaten their survival as a species.
Adélie Penguins
Adélie penguins are at risk because their main food source, krill, decreases as Antarctic sea ice melts. This affects the penguins and other species that rely on krill.
Bumblebees
Bumblebees, vital for pollination, are moving to cooler areas due to rising temperatures. Changes in weather patterns are also affecting their food sources and habitats.
Whales
Rising sea temperatures threaten whales, which are important for maintaining ocean ecosystems and capturing carbon. This affects their migration, feeding, and reproduction.
Asian Elephants
Asian elephants face challenges due to decreased rainfall and rising temperatures, affecting their habitats and reproductive capacity.
Sharks
Shark species are having trouble hunting, and more embryos are dying as the oceans get warmer and more acidic due to climate change. Rising temperatures push sharks northward about 30 kilometres in the Pacific Ocean each year, disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems that rely on sharks as top predators.
Animals worldwide are threatened by climate change, facing habitat loss, food source reduction, and disrupted reproductive patterns. Rising global temperatures could lead to more species becoming vulnerable and heading toward extinction. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
