Changing environments As the climate changes All ecosystems are affected We need functioning sustainable ecosystems to maintain water quality, store carbon, dispose of natural wastes, remove pollination, maintain genetic diversity

Predictions Lots of predictions have been made from various computer generated models of climate change but all agree that not all the earth will be affected in the same way Oceans won’t warm as much as the land Greatest temp increase will be in northern hemisphere Land covered in snow will decrease/ ice at both poles will reduce Heatwaves and tropical cyclones will increase More precipitations in the poles But less rain in the Mediterranean, parts of Queensland and Western Australia

WHO WILL SURVIVE!!! History tells us climate change has caused species to die out & Ecosystems Arguments as to whether it was pure climate or humans hunting That caused some extinctions Warmer climates don’t kill All species-some move towards the poles/colder-equator

Urbanisation Some ecosystems destroyed due to building/land clearing etc. Makes it more difficult for animals to move away and find new suitable areas This destruction has caused reduction in biodiversity Australia has huge diversity in both its plants and animals many unique just to us

GREAT BARRIER REEF Coral very sensitive to minute changes in temp Causes severe stress to coral Corals depend on relationships with unicellular photosynthetic protists that live within their cells- these protozoans provide nutrition and give corals their colour Corals stress- expels the protists- loses colour-called bleaching-some never recover from this process Coral dies-reefs taken over by Algae Pictures to follow………

What the protist looks like under a microscope Other organisms depend on coral for food and shelter – so they die out too

Australian specifics KAKADU- changes to fire regimes, sea levels and increased storms are results of climate change The large wet lands in Kakadu –fresh water-home to some rare and endangered species such as Magpie geese- have problems- they are often low lying wetlands and rise in sea levels could increase their salinity and these and other organisms will either leave or die. The ecosystem will change as organisms that can tolerate higher salt levels move in Flooding allows weeds to flourish/ ferral animals to migrate in like toads and water buffalo- these further destroy original ecosystems

SPECIES ON THE MOVE Long Spined Sea Urchin- common in south eastern Australian waters is moving towards Tasmania This could damage shallow reef ecosystems and the commercial abalone and rock lobster industries Believed to be moving due to a strengthening of the East Australian current-that carries the larvae south

CHANGE IN SEA LEVEL sea levels have been both higher and lower in the past than they are today If all the ice on earth were to melt seas would rise about 70 metres However climate change models do not suggest this will happen However as most cities are on the coast any rise in sea level is a concern Buildings, unlike animals and earlier humans living on coastal areas cannot just move inland as the sea rises- so huge economic impact could be felt