Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is habitat change?
What is habitat change?
Change in the local environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives
What are some effects of habitat change on aquatic ecosystems?
What are some effects of habitat change on aquatic ecosystems?
Define climate change.
Define climate change.
Significant variation of average weather conditions over several decades or longer
Climate change is primarily caused by natural weather variability.
Climate change is primarily caused by natural weather variability.
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What are some observed changes due to climate change in the 20th century?
What are some observed changes due to climate change in the 20th century?
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What primarily contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
What primarily contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
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Define invasive species.
Define invasive species.
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Invasive species may lack natural predators, allowing them to ____ and ____ in their new environment.
Invasive species may lack natural predators, allowing them to ____ and ____ in their new environment.
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What are some impacts of invasive species on the environment?
What are some impacts of invasive species on the environment?
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What has contributed to the depletion of fisheries resources in Malaysia since 1970?
What has contributed to the depletion of fisheries resources in Malaysia since 1970?
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Study Notes
Habitat Change
- Habitat change occurs naturally through droughts, disease, fire, hurricanes, mudslides, volcanoes, earthquakes, and slight changes in seasonal temperature or precipitation.
- Human activities like land use change, physical modification of rivers, and water withdrawal from rivers also induce habitat change.
- Habitat loss and fragmentation lead to saltwater intrusion into freshwater wetlands, causing shifts in plant and animal communities.
- Consequences of habitat change include:
- Replacement of aquatic species with upland species
- Loss of large, wide-ranging species (diversity loss)
- Loss of genetic integrity when isolated habitats are too small to support viable populations
- Increased numbers of competitor, predator, and parasite species tolerant of disturbed environments
Climate Change
- Climate change is a significant variation of average weather conditions over several decades or longer.
- It is attributed directly and indirectly to human activity, altering the composition of the global atmosphere.
- Observed changes over the 20th century include:
- Increases in global air and ocean temperature
- Rising global sea levels
- Long-term sustained widespread reduction of snow and ice cover
- Changes in atmospheric and ocean circulation, influencing seasonal rainfall conditions
- These changes are caused by extra heat in the climate system due to the addition of greenhouse gases from human activities.
Invasive Species
- Invasive species are alien species introduced outside their natural past or present distribution.
- They outcompete native species for resources like space, light, and food.
- They consume native species, compete with them for food or space, or introduce disease.
- Invasive species produce negative consequences in the environment and human health.
- They cause economic or environmental harm, disrupt native ecological processes, and lead to species extinction and loss of biodiversity.
Overfishing
- Overfishing, by-catch, and destructive fishing practices have depleted fisheries resources in Malaysia since 1970.
- The government has implemented the Fisheries Act 1985 for sustainable management of fisheries.
Industry and Agriculture
- Industrial activities have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems, including:
- Reduction of wetland acreage
- Alteration of wetland hydrology
- Water temperature increases
- Point and nonpoint source pollutant inputs
- pH changes
- Atmospheric deposition
- Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from industrial effluent and atmospheric deposition can enter estuarine wetlands, contaminating fish and causing external abnormalities.
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Description
This quiz explores the impact of habitat change on aquatic ecosystems, including natural and human-induced factors such as land use change, physical modification of rivers, and more.
