ENVS 2270 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Ecosystem Services, Sea Level Rise, Bird Migration
Document Summary
Corals have adapted to warmer oceans: experiment with samoan coral. Took corals from hot pools and corals from cooler pools and subjected them to higher temperatures. 20% of hot pool corals and 55% of cool pool corals spit out algae. Then took cool pool algae and put them in the hot pool for a year. Also been a genetic change in the pink salmon population: been rapid microevolution for earlier migration timing and reproductive timing. The tawny owl has also undergone evolution: the brown owl has becoming more abundant as snow depth as decreased. The red squirrels breeding time has advanced by 18 days over the last 10 years. Precipitation influence natural selection in organisms more strongly than temperature. More precipitation prompts plant growth and seed production leading to more plant eaters and ultimately carnivores competing for resources: many temperate organisms such as squirrels and birds can tolerate thermal fluctuations without effect.