Biological Impacts of Climate Change

Abstract

Climate has far reaching impacts on biological systems. Survival and reproduction depend on how well adapted individuals are to local climate patterns. Climate change can disrupt the match between organisms and their local environment, reducing survival and reproduction and causing subsequent impacts on populations or species' distributions across geographic regions. Changes in climate may benefit some species and cause extinction for others. Cumulatively, it will alter biological communities and the functioning of ecosystems. Changes to ecosystem functions can in turn increase or decrease the rate of human‐driven climate change. In addition to effects of climate variables such as temperature and precipitation, plants may respond directly to rising concentrations of CO 2 , while aquatic species cope with changes in water chemistry as greenhouse gasses dissolve in water. The earth is already experiencing sufficient climate change to affect biological systems; well‐documented changes in plant and animal populations are related to recent climate change. Predicting future biological impacts of climate change remains a formidable challenge for science. Key Concepts Climate has a pervasive influence on individual plants and animals, populations, communities and entire ecosystems. Changes in climate will have far reaching effects on all aspects of biology. Climatic changes over the past several decades have already produced measurable changes in biological systems worldwide. Species can respond to climate change by moving to areas where climate is favourable, by evolving and adapting to new environmental conditions, or, if climate changes too rapidly, by going extinct. Analysing recent trends provides a certainty that changes will occur in biological systems valued by humans. Many of those changes will have negative impacts on human well‐being but there will be changes that will also benefit people. Scientists try to predict how biological systems will change by analysing past changes in response to climate change, by conducting experiments and by constructing models. Uncertainty in predictions of biological change comes both from uncertainty about the rate of future climate change and from uncertainty about the direct and indirect effects of climate change on biological systems.

Dengue Situation in Bangladesh: An Epidemiological Shift in terms of Morbidity and Mortality

“…Climate variation (rain fall, humidity, and temperature) formed part of the analysis of dengue fever trends as the dengue vector is very sensitive to climate change and the resulting environmental modifications. Since there is, to some extent, linear relationship between climate factors and the mutation process of the organisms (virus or bacteria) [ 13 ], we tried to correlate the climate information (Figures 4(a) – 4(c) ) with the incidence of disease from 2014 ( Figure 4(d) ). The study showed a strong and significant correlation with humidity and positive dengue cases ( p < 0.001) and also showed a significant correlation with low and medium rainfall ( p < 0.039).…”

“…McCarty et al reported “Climate change may benefit some species and cause extinction for others. Cumulatively, it will alter biological communities and the functioning of ecosystems” [ 13 ]. Results of similar studies also suggest a linear relationship with the incidence of dengue due to climate variations in Bangladesh by Karim et al [ 14 ].…”

Weak effects on growth and cannibalism under fluctuating temperatures in damselfly larvae

“…Predicting the effects of global climate change on species interactions is one of the most pressing challenges for ecologists. Ectotherms are particularly sensitive towards thermal conditions and show severe declines in abundances in respond to climate change 1,20,81 . Whilst the major body of literature focused on rising mean temperatures to date, many studies neglected the increasing frequency of temperature variations and its intricated consequences on biotic interactions.…”