ECOSYSTEMS

Effects of climate change on ECOSYSTEMS The climate change effects felt by Earth’s ecosystems will depend on their sensitivity, their vulnerability, and their ability to adapt. These responses can lead to beneficial or harmful effects.

There may be direct effects, such as reduced crop yields because of drought. Or effects may be indirect, such as climate change causing a rise in sea level, which then floods a coastal community causing extensive damage.

Sensitivity is the degree to which a system will respond to a change in climatic conditions. An ecosystem may be quite sensitive, such as the southern arctic tundra where small changes in temperature can disrupt the delicate balance of permafrost and vegetation, leading to rapid changes. Or the ecosystem may be much less sensitive and a small change in temperature or precipitation is unlikely to have a big impact.

Adaptive capacity is the ability of a system to adjust in response to projected or actual changes in climate.

Adaptations can take two forms: they can reduce the negative impacts of climate change or they can take advantage of new opportunities presented by changing climatic conditions.

Impacts on Biomes and Biodiversity Scientists predict that climate change will significantly affect the land base and the living organisms and communities that depend on it. Global warming is recognized as a key threat to biodiversity. The natural environment is made up of major world communities or biomes. Biomes are natural regions that share similar climate characteristics and plant and animal communities.

Scientists expect that more northerly regions such as Canada are likely to be among those areas most affected by climate change.

Threats to Species and Habitat The greatest challenge is for species to adapt quickly enough to keep pace with their changing environment. Vulnerable species those with limited climatic ranges, specific habitat needs and small populations – will face greater risk of extinction due to climate warming. Furthermore, when climatic stresses are added to stresses caused by humans –like over fishing- it is difficult to predict how all the factors will interact. Marine species and ecosystems are also threatened by global climate change. Ocean cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface and account for most of the planets photosynthesis and biological productivity. Coral reefs are being closely watched around the world. These reefs occupy large areas of the tropical oceans and are very sensitive to temperature changes, pollution, and exposure to air. Consequently, the rising ocean temperatures can cause widespread coral bleaching. When this happens, the productivity of the reef declines and many other organisms that feed on and live in the reef are affected. If the reef dies, wave action erodes it and important habitat is destroyed.

To provide a uniform basis in understanding of what biodiversity attributes and values, the Rio Convention has adopted the following definition: "Biological diversity is heterogeneity in the living world in all its sources, including terrestrial , marine and continental water to the ecological complexes of which they are part, it includes the diversity of species, between species and ecosystems. " Emphasized that, in this view, biodiversity is not only the biological diversity of species and endangered species protection (in the manner fragmented and inefficient approach that has dominated environmental policy and research in recent decades), but covers the entire spectrum of the natural environment.

However, the general character of this definition does not satisfy the need for precision with minimal operation launched concepts and notions developed and inherited by contemporary science. Therefore, please specify below basic elements of the proposed working definition. "Biodiversity is structural heterogeneity (biotic and abiotic components) and functional (complexity of linkages between components) integrated biological systems in the abiotic environment.

Both definitions show character of scale hierarchical approach to intra population mechanisms in complex ecosystems and ecosystems. In this regard it is proposed to distinguish four broad categories of approach to biodiversity: ecosystems, species, genetic diversity and ethno-cultural diversity of the various levels of biological and ecological organization.

Warnings: ďƒ¨ Road infrastructure works have direct and indirect impacts, positive and negative accumulated on the environment. ďƒ¨ Study adds to a growing body of literature indicating that even anthropogenic habitat modifications that does not destroy a large amount of habitat can create significant barriers to gene flow.

Scale scientific and technical achievements, coupled with the explosive development of demography, increasing increases the pressure on nature and its resources, which can cause serious ecological imbalances, which manifest in time and relatively large areas, leading to true "crisis organic. Nicholas Botnariuc (1989) said: "The consequence of increasing human activities on the biosphere and the impact on the overall conditions of life led to decreased diversity genofonde accelerated to destabilize the global ecological balance."

Universal recognition at the highest level that the global environment is in a serious decline, has led the launch of international programs for management and environmental research in integralist manner. Biodiversity within them is central because it is actually departing from the Natural Capital all development strategies, representing its conservation condition of sustainable development.

The first roots of conservation are lost in prehistory. It started not as a reason in itself has grown and complicated over the millennia, from idea to extend the various rewards after a period of time (it saves the fruit eating better now than later, this leaves tuber they will be more next year when you pass by this place, take the chicken house because it will increase and you'll eat next winter when you will be more and eat less "). Of course these practices are simple, but conservation is the lowest. With the development of spirituality and caste of priests, some species had a special status as representations of gods and were protected from exploitation. Sometimes large areas such as sacred mountains were decreed off limits or only occasionally visited religious.

Conservation has been questioned over the period when European countries colonized the rest of the world, because colonization has brought numerous disorders in mainstream use of natural resources and a rapid overexploitation. One example is the colonization of the islands of Mauritius and Tobago, where the consequences of over-exploitation began to emerge relatively quickly. With the increasing human impact, exploiting timber resources and animals, society began to recognize the importance of resource conservation with economic value such as many invertebrates, herbaceous plants, amphibians and reptiles, to which attention was directed conservationist not long.

In 1872 with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park, conservation policy began. Here on 9018 km2, acknowledged the importance of preserving natural resources to traditional economic development. In these

areas were subjected to preserve a wide range of plant species, microorganisms and animals. Conservation of biological origin is attributed first International Conference of Conservation Biology (San Diego, California, 1978) and books that followed: "Biological Conservation", edited by Michael Soule and Bruce Wilcox (1980). Eight years after this small beginning is "Biological Conservation Society, which publishes, in 1987, the journal Conservation Biology. Universities, foundations, private conservation groups and government agencies have contributed to the development of conservation programs.

Biological conservation has long been focused only on populations of birds and mammals. Wildlife management and recently turned his attention to other species, including reptiles, amphibians and even invertebrates and plants. Perhaps in the future to include all forms of wildlife.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania