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Question: Mean temperatures are rising in many parts of the world. The rising temperatures may
result in physiological and ecological effects on living organisms. Describe and explain
these effects.
Increase int emperature is dealt with by living organisms in a variety of ways. Animals are seperated into two groups when considering thermoregulation. There are ectotherms and endotherms.
Ectotherms will be greatly affectced by increase in heat as they get most of their heat from the enviroment. It will cause them to spend more time in the shade to prevent overheating.This may affect their ability to succesfully predate therefore decrease their chance of survival.Their enzymes will work faster so more metabolic activities such as protein synthesis occurs. This will require more energy which is difficult in the dark.
Endotherms are able to control their temperature to an extent. The skin receptors will send impulses to the heat loss centre in the hypothalamus ,which sends impulses to the arteriaoles to dialate,hair to flatten and sweat glands to produce sweat which causes loss of heat through evaporation this keeps the blood cool. The blood is also kept cool as more of it is at the surface if the skin increasing surface area over which heat can be radiated out.
Increase in temperature can also have numerous ecological effects. it can decrease habitats of animals adapted to living in the cold such as polar bears.As polar ice melts there is less space over which polar bears and mate and live.This will increase selection pressures of polar bears better adapted at living in the ocean.
There will also be selection pressures within the plant community.Plants adapted to living in warmer conditions will be favoured,this is called directional selection. Plants that are adapted have features such as thin leaves to prevent water loss as the surface area to volume ratio is small. The main problem for plants is lack of water.
Plants that are used for crops will decrease in yeild ,this will affect energy pyramids because all energy in energy pyramids enters by plants. This will cause a great reduction in energy transfered to higher tropic levels.The number of tropic levels of energy pyramids may also decrease because energy transfer is inefficient between levels.
Plant yeilds will decrease because more of the energy assimilated will be used in respiration rather than stored.This is because the movement of enzymes will be faster as heat provides kinetic energy so more reactions occur per unit of time, these reactions require ATP which can only be produced through respiration.
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