Effects of Climate Change on Flora and Fauna: A Case Study of Northern Bettong in Australia

Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE CHANGE
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1CLIMATE CHANGE
Part 1.
The aim of this assessment is to analyze effects of the issue habitats degradation, invasive
species, forest fires, population growth or urbanization, economic growth on the flora and fauna
in general and how climate change has intensified the seriousness of the issues in the lives of
human beings, plants and animal species of the world. Climate change in the current
environmental setting is more intense to affect the ecological system of the earth that this can
lead to complete destruction of lives. It has affected natural weather system of the earth that has
led to habitats degradation of the animals as well as the humans, invasive species, increasing
forest fires, pollution and all other climatic issue on the earth. There are differed social and
economic problems related to this issue of climate that has forced the human being to face the
wrath of nature.
Earth is a home to various types of animal and plant species who completely depend on
nature for their living. They need specific temperature and habitat to get proper food and survive
(Hing et al., 2017). However due to various reasons like deforestation and urbanization, habitat
degradation of the animals and plants have increased. Climate change however has aggregated
such issue more and affected their existence so severely that the animals and plant who cannot
adapt with type changing weather are gradually getting extinct from the earth. Each of the plant
and animal species evolve for thriving in its own specific ecological niche but climate change
has strong effect on the natural habitats disrupting their specific living conditions (Moseby,
Lollback & Lynch, 2018). Some of the animal and plant species are more adaptable with the
changing climate and changing living conditions. For example, rats and dogs can adapt
themselves with any weather condition but Koala bears cannot survive without eucalyptus and
pandas need bamboo. Human caused climate change has altered natural temperature, sea level

2CLIMATE CHANGE
and precipitation that has started to wipe out the habitats and compel some of the birds and
animal scopes to migrate.
Invasive species are another threat to the native wildlife which can be any type of living
organism that is not native to that particular ecosystem therefore cause harm. These species can
harm the ecology of that place, environment, human health or even economy. These species
grow as well as reproduce quickly but spread aggressively (Pacioni et al., 2017). These cause
harm other species hence referred to as invasive species. Sometimes through intentional and
unintentional human activities, these species can enter the new ecosystem. Now with the change
of climate, the number of such species are growing. For example, lake trout are native to the
Great Lakes but referred to be the invasive species for the Yellowstone lake because they are
tough competition to the cutthroat trout of the native ecosystem.
Forest fires is not beneficial for the wildlife as these are unplanned and damaging.
However most of the wildfire starts due to human activities. In case the wildfire starts in a dry
season it does not only affect the vegetation of the place but also degrades the stream water
quality which indirectly ruin the ecosystem of the place (Settele et al., 2015). The animals and
plants are burnt and killed by the wildfire. This a very common phenomenon in Australian
forests. Some of the animals like deer, elk and kangaroos can escape the harm of forest fire but
the smaller animals like snakes, foxes and squirrels cannot escape. The birds can fly away but
their nests and eggs are burnt. Frequent forest fire affects the wildlife to get injured, dehydrated
and malnourished which can be the reason of extinction of many plant species as they cannot
escape the fire. Since the habitats of the animals and birds get destroyed by the fire, they spend
more time to search for food, water and shelter which make them more vulnerable to extinction