Effects on biodiversity & sustainable food supply

Impact of climate change on the genetic diversity (variation in DNA composition amond individuals within a species)

decrease genetic diversity

• some organisms are unable to migrate up ward towards the poles and higher in altitude

• they will be unable to adapt and perish

• decrease in population size leads to smaller gene pools and decrease in genetic diversity

Impact of climate change on species diversity (no. or variety of species in a particular region)

1. phenological shift in flowering plants and insect pollinators: causes mismatch between plant and pollinator populations, leading to extinction for both, modifying teh community structure and ecosystem functions

2. reduction in amount and availability of habitats: eliminating species that are essential for the species in question or introducing a species(eg a disease) detrimental to the species in question

Impact of climate change on ecosytem diversity (no. & variety of eceosystems)

• induce changes in vegetation communities predicted large enough to affect biome(large regiosn with distinct climates & species) integrity

• eg large portions of amazonion forest replace by tropical svannahs

Consequences of biodiversity loss

1. Loss of biomedicines

2. Loss of food security

Importance of wild species as reservoirs of genetic diversity and for food security

• wild populations constantly face changing environmental conditions eg diseases, drought, frosts

• only the fittest survive and possess genes that makes them resistant to these pressures

• we could transfer helpful genes by crossbreeding or genetic engineering, reducing the offs of crop failures and have greater yields

Impact of climate change on our genetic resources for food and agriculture

• climate chang erosed our genetic resources from which to breed varieties that will be needed to adapt plant/ animal species to changing climate conditions

define food security (four dimensions)

1. availiability

2. accessbility

3. utilsation (quality and safety)

4. stability (risk of losing)

Impact on agro-ecosystems

• cropp loss due to heat and water stress

• reduce rates of soil moisture retention, reducing suitability of land for crop production, resulting in poor crop yields

• heavy rain/floodign can destroy entire crops over wide ares

• attack oncrops by pests

• competition between cropes and weeds (range & distribution of weeds)

• rise of pathogens and disease affecting crops

Impact on livestock and pastoral systems

• increased temperature alter heat exchange between animal and environment (decreasing body size)

• heat stress

• induce behvaioural and metabolic chanves eg reduced feed in takes

• increased temp led to lignification of plant tissues to reuce ingestibiliy and degradation rates, reducin nutrient availiability for

• increased water-survival of pathogens, affecting animal health

Impact on fisheries and aquaculture systems

• quicken the metabolic rates in fish as well as reproductive cycle of fish

• reduction in availability of oxygen, decreasing maximum body weight of fish

• migration polewards