BIOC58H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Coral Bleaching, Staghorn Coral, Individual And Political Action On Climate Change
Document Summary
Lecture 3 the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Coral bleaching: central lagoon, belize: (now extremely rare in all locations, 1980s staghorn coral (acropora cervicornis) wiped out due to increased water temperatures and disease, replaced with agaricia tenuifolia, 1998 el ni o event wiped out a. tenuifolia. Increase acidity in oceans, decrease in calcium bicarbonate. Calcification rates great barrier reef: steady, but rapid calcification decline recently, ocean becomes acidic, and coral cannot build itself (base shell) Great barrier reef bleached area 2016: 2016 northern section 81% severely bleached, other sectors affected, but mostly northern section, stopping climate change is only way to fix this. Climate change and extinction: example: monteverde golden toad (bufo periglenes) Increasing dry days = crash in population (rapid decreases: chytrid fungal = more deadly, risk of extinction highest if small range size, species sensitivity, and reduced range (habitat loss, climate change + other factors (interlinked)
