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Chapter 27: Problem 3

(a) What impact might climate warming have on ectotherms? (b) How does climate warming affect terrestrial plants?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: Climate warming can affect ectotherms by increasing their metabolic rates, causing range shifts towards the poles, and altering their phenology. This can indirectly impact terrestrial plants by influencing their growth due to longer growing seasons and higher growth rates, shifting their distribution as they move to new favorable temperatures, and affecting their ecological interactions with other organisms, such as pollinators and herbivores. Additionally, interactions with other organisms may change, leading to cascading effects on ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of Ectotherms

Ectotherms are organisms that cannot produce their own body heat and therefore rely on their surrounding environment to regulate their body temperature. Examples of ectotherms include reptiles, amphibians, and many invertebrates.
02

Impact of Climate Warming on Ectotherms: Metabolism

As ectotherms depend on their environment for regulating their body temperature, an increase in temperature due to climate warming can have a significant impact on their metabolic rates. Warmer environments can lead to increased metabolism, which may improve an ectotherm's ability to acquire resources, digest food, and reproduce. However, if the temperature rises too high, their metabolic rates may become too high as well, leading to stress and reduced survival.
03

Impact of Climate Warming on Ectotherms: Range Shifts

Ectotherms may also experience shifts in their range due to climate warming. As environments change and warmer conditions may become more suitable for their physiology, ectotherms may begin to expand their ranges towards the poles, while retreating from areas that become too hot. This can lead to changes in community composition, potentially affecting ecosystem dynamics.
04

Impact of Climate Warming on Ectotherms: Phenology

An increase in global temperatures can affect the phenology – or timing of seasonal events – of ectotherms. For instance, warmer temperatures may cause ectotherms to reproduce, migrate, or go into hibernation earlier or later in the year than before, which can have consequences for their survival and interactions with other species.
05

Climate Warming Effects on Terrestrial Plants: Growth

Climate warming can directly influence plant growth, as increased temperatures may result in longer growing seasons and higher growth rates. However, this depends on other factors such as water availability and nutrient levels in the soil. If other resources remain limited, the benefits of warmer temperatures may not be fully realized by plants.
06

Climate Warming Effects on Terrestrial Plants: Distribution

Warming climates can cause terrestrial plants to shift their geographic ranges. Similar to ectotherms, plants may move poleward to take advantage of favorable temperatures and growing conditions. This may result in plants competing for new territory, potentially leading to changes in community composition, loss of biodiversity, and alterations to the ecosystem.
07

Climate Warming Effects on Terrestrial Plants: Ecological Interactions

Climate warming can also affect the relationships between terrestrial plants and other organisms in their environment. For example, warmer temperatures may alter the timing of plant flowering, which can affect the availability of resources for pollinators and herbivores. Additionally, interactions with other organisms like herbivores, decomposers, and symbiotic relationships (e.g., with mycorrhizal fungi) may change in response to altered temperature regimes. This can lead to cascading effects on ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.

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