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Ecosystems Feel the Heat from Climate Change

By Jacqueline Pratt-Tuke
2021

Jacqueline Pratt-Tuke is a science and humanities teacher based in Washington, D.C. In this text,
the author explores how Earth's rising temperatures affect the planet's ecosystems, or
communities of living things. As you read, take note on how rising temperatures affect
ecosystems.

[1] Today is 75 degrees and sunny. Tomorrow’s

weather looks cloudy with a chance of rain.
Expect cooler temperatures over the
weekend. You can turn on the TV or open an
app to see the daily weather forecast.
Weather — which includes temperature, rain,
snow, wind, and humidity — varies from day
to day.

Climate is a bit different. Climate is the

average weather in a place over long periods
of time. It looks at changes in weather
patterns over years. "Coral" by Qui Nguyen is licensed under CC0.

Throughout history, Earth’s climate has warmed and cooled. Geological records show the Earth
has experienced seven ice ages and warming periods. Scientists believe dramatic1 climate shifts
caused a mass extinction around 252 million years ago. Volcanoes erupted and spat out huge
amounts of lava and gas. The gasses were absorbed into Earth’s atmosphere and held in the
heat. Temperatures rose. Oceans warmed. Oxygen in the oceans decreased quickly and killed
up to 96% of ocean life.

So if our Earth’s climate has changed before, what is the big deal now? For the first time, human
activity is causing the Earth to warm.

Causes of Climate Change

[5] Our Earth is wrapped in a blanket of gasses. Just as you snuggle under a blanket to stay warm

1. Dramatic (adjective) out of the ordinary

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 on a chilly evening, Earth’s blanket — called the atmosphere — keeps the planet warm. As
sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the gasses trap heat from the sun. Without the
atmosphere, Earth would be too cold to sustain life.

But over the last hundred years, the Earth’s atmosphere has trapped too much heat. Humans
depend on fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal to power our lives. They heat our homes, fuel our
cars, and run factories that process food and make all the products we buy on Amazon with a
click of a button. Burning fossil fuels releases a gas called carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide traps more heat inside the atmosphere. Imagine being wrapped in a heavy,
unbreathable blanket. Are you feeling hot and sweaty yet?

With more trapped heat, the Earth is warming up. Scientists concluded that over the last 100
years Earth’s temperature increased 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. This may seem small, but
temperatures are rising twice as fast as they did 100 years ago. And scientists forecast that
temperatures will continue to grow, increasing 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 100
years, according to NASA.

Impacts of Climate Change

Warming temperatures have far-reaching impacts:2 oceans warm, glaciers melt, sea levels rise,
and even the chemistry of the ocean changes. With such shifts, organisms3 — and whole
ecosystems — feel the impact.

Warming Oceans

The Great Barrier Reef’s yellow, red, and fuchsia corals4 stand out against the ocean’s blue
backdrop. Schools of fish, equally as colorful as the reef, swim in and out of coral. Named one
of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef sits off the coast of Australia
and is the most extensive reef in the world. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it is
home to 1,500 species of fish, 411 types of coral, 134 species of sharks and rays, and six kinds
of sea turtles.

[10] But the reef’s breathtaking beauty is being white-washed. Earth’s oceans absorb heat stored by
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This warms the ocean’s water, and corals feel stressed.
Under stress, microscopic5 algae that live in the coral make chemicals that hurt the coral. In
response, the coral kicks out the algae. Without the algae, the coral loses its brilliant colors and

2. a strong, powerful effect

3. an individual living thing, such as a plant, an animal, or a germ
4. the hard skeleton of tiny sea animals called corals
5. Microscopic (adjective) too small to be seen with the eye

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 turns ghostly white. This is called coral bleaching. Although not yet dead, bleached coral can
starve and is more vulnerable6 to diseases. In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef lost over 680 miles
of coral to bleaching, according to the WWF.

Bleaching also threatens all the organisms that depend on coral for shelter and food. For
example, the bright yellow butterflyfish eats the coral’s mucus-like exterior layer. Gross, right?
But as corals bleach and some die, the butterflyfish loses its slimy food source.

Melting Ice Caps

Warming temperatures caused by climate change are most extreme in the Arctic. Scientists
report that the Arctic has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to the BBC. As
temperatures increase, sheets of ice and glaciers that cover this northernmost part of the world
melt.

The small yet plump ringed seals depend on Arctic ice for survival. They carve dens in the ice
and snow where they mate, give birth to pups, and seek protection from predators. But as the
ice melts, ringed seals’ dens collapse,7 and seal pups suffer the most. Typically, mother seals
nurse and care for their pups for six weeks after birth. Collapsing dens leads to pups being
prematurely separated from their mothers. Scientists have observed more seal pup deaths due
to a warming climate.

In the Arctic ecosystem, the loss of seals impacts other Arctic creatures that rely on them for
food. With a melting habitat and less food, polar bears must roam long distances to find food.
This uses up bears’ energy and burns the fat needed to survive in the Arctic. Scientists worry
that without seals, polar bears could be too hungry and weak to produce healthy cubs.

Rising Sea Levels

[15] Sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches’ sun-warmed sands. During the nesting season, sea turtles
emerge from the water and scuttle across the beach to dig nests. Turtles lay between 60 and
180 eggs in sandy holes. Some turtles nest every year while other species only nest every nine
years.

But climate change threatens sea turtles as sea levels rise. Rising sea levels have two causes:
more water being added to the ocean as Arctic ice melts and the expansion of water as it heats
up. NASA reports that in the last 140 years, sea levels rose by 8 to 9 inches and have grown by
.14 inches each year since 2006. Rising sea levels erode beaches and threaten to wash away

6. able to be hurt or injured

7. Collapse (verb) to fall down or cave in

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turtle nests. Losing the next generation of turtles could lead some marine turtles closer to
extinction.

Sea turtles are a keystone species which means removing turtles would disrupt the whole
ecosystem. Hawksbill turtles clean up coral reefs which are homes to many fish. Leatherback
turtles keep jellyfish populations under control. Green turtles graze on seagrasses and keep
them healthy for smaller organisms that live hidden in the grasses’ waving arms.

Acidic Waters

Each day, the ocean absorbs 22 million tons of excess carbon dioxide made from burning fossil
fuels according to Smithsonian. That’s nearly the weight of two gigantic anchors on cruise ships.
Absorbing gasses helps out the atmosphere but dooms the ocean. As the sea dissolves carbon
dioxide, the water becomes more acidic.

More acidic oceans disturb the ocean ecosystem. Higher levels of acid dissolves8 shells on
clams, oysters, and scallops, and with no protection, these shellfish die. Shellfish are a popular
food in the ocean. Fish feast on them, starfish use powerful arms to open their shells and enjoy
the tender innards, birds pick up shellfish and crack open their shells. More acidic oceans also
destroy corals that marine organisms call home. Ocean ecosystems feel the impact of climate
change.

"Ecosystems Feel the Heat from Climate Change" by Jacqueline Pratt-Tuke. Copyright © 2021 by
CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

8. to melt

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.

1. Which of the following is a main idea of the text?

A. When humans burn fossil fuels, they are helping the atmosphere stay
warm enough to keep animals alive.
B. The damage that has already been done to plants and animals from
climate change cannot be fixed.
C. The atmosphere is trapping in too much heat which causes plants and
animals to suffer.
D. Earth's climate has warmed and cooled many times since the beginning of
time.

2. Which statement shows how climate change could hurt arctic animals in the future?
A. "Scientists worry that without seals, polar bears could be too hungry and
weak to produce healthy cubs." (Paragraph 14)
B. "In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef lost over 680 miles of coral to bleaching,
according to the WWF." (Paragraph 10)
C. "Hawksbill turtles clean up coral reefs which are homes to many fish."
(Paragraph 17)
D. "The small yet plump ringed seals depend on Arctic ice for survival."
(Paragraph 13)

3. What is the meaning of "sustain" as used in paragraph 5?

A. to stop
B. to effect
C. to support
D. to fall down

4. How does paragraph 7 add to the text?

A. It shows that temperatures on Earth will eventually decrease again.
B. It explains how quickly the Earth's temperature is increasing.
C. It shows how the Earth's atmosphere is able to trap in heat.
D. It explains how humans are making climate change worse.

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5. Why does the author discuss different ecosystems throughout the text?

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. The author discusses how humans' use of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas can lead
to warmer temperatures on Earth. Think about how often you use fossil fuels. What
do you use fossil fuels for? Do you think it is important to use less fossil fuels? Why or
why not?

2. The text explains how some animals are becoming endangered because of rising
temperatures. Think of one animal discussed in the text. How might your life be
different if that animal became extinct? Do you think one animal becoming extinct is
reason to worry? Why or why not?