User:Optimisticecologist/Biodiversity loss

Effect on plants[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Effects of climate change on plant biodiversity[edit]

Alpine flora at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, in Montana, United States: Alpine plants are one group expected to be highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change

Climate change is any significant long term change in the expected pattern, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. Environmental conditions play a key role in defining the function and distribution of plants, in combination with other factors. Changes in long term environmental conditions that can be collectively coined climate change are known to have had enormous impacts on current plant diversity patterns; further impacts are expected in the future.[58] It is predicted that climate change will remain one of the major drivers of biodiversity patterns in the future.[59][60][61] Human actions are currently triggering the sixth major mass extinction our Earth has seen, changing the distribution and abundance of many plants.[62]

'''LIZ's NEW CONTENT: Plant and animal populations are interconnected. There are a number of examples in nature that display this dependency. Consider pollinator reliant plant species that display an observable sensitivity to pollinator activity. A 2007 study looked into the relationship between plant diversity and phenology, experimentally determining that plant diversity influenced the broader community flowering time. Flowering time is important piece in the pollination puzzle as it impacts the food supply for pollinators. This in turn can play a major role in agricultural pursuits and global food security. '''

'''While plants are essential for human survival, they have not received the same attention as the subject of conservation efforts as animals. It's estimated that a third of all land plant species are at risk of extinction and 94% have yet to be evaluated in terms of their conservation status. '''

Earthworm loss[edit]

'''Earthworms play an important role in ecosystem function. For example, they help with biological processing in soil, water, and even green house gas balancing. ''' The critical decline of earthworms (over 80% on average) has been recorded under non-ecological agricultural practices. [73]