Ecological Challenges in an Anthropocene World

The Anthropocene is almost (maybe) official. It is man’s own epoch. Finally we have reached a stage in our development where we are no longer at the mercy of nature; instead, nature is at the mercy of us.

According to Monastersky (2015), collectively humans now shift more sediment through mining alone than all of Earth’s great rivers combined. We have raised the sea levels, torn down the forests, bored through entire mountains and now, after having (debatably) delayed a whole ICE AGE through our impact on global temperature, the world supposedly lies on the brink of what could be one of the greatest extinction events since that great big meteor smashed the dinosaurs to smithereens.

That is, according to Thomas et al. (2004), who paint a very dystopian picture of the outlook for Earth’s non-human residents. Thomas et al. calculate that, if climate change trends carry on “business as usual”, we could see up to 52% of species committed to extinction by 2050.

This, frankly, is a ridiculous estimation. To think that half of the Earth’s fauna and flora could be committed to being wiped out by the end of the next half century seems ludicrous. In fact, if you take Thomas et al.'s article and look closely, you can see that their methods are absurdly simplistic, they ignore inter-species interactions and give no credit to organisms’ natural propensity for adaptation. Yet still, as is so often the case, there are truths to be found within the madness.

The climate IS changing. Flora and fauna ARE struggling. And if change continues as it is then perhaps it is not too far-fetched to believe that we may see many of our old favourites beginning to disappear in the decades to come. Thomas et al's (2004) lower estimate of a minimum of 9% committed to extinction (with minimal climate change) all of a sudden seems rather possible – and scary.

This basically sums up the reaction I expect from all of you about this 

You see, climate change is disrupting the lives of our planet’s organisms in more ways than one. Their phenology (to the uninitiated -the timing of seasonal activities of plants and animals) for a start is being thrown completely off-kilter. Birds are migrating too early (or too late), plants are blossoming prematurely and putting themselves at risk of sudden-death by frost, and many synchronous relationships between organisms are being completely thrown-off. Range-shifts are causing species to migrate poleward (a fact that for many organisms with a selective niche can mean death), climate factors that once held off nasty invasive species are no longer insurmountable barriers, and the complex dynamics that kept ecosystems in balance are being completely torn apart (Walther et al. 2002)*.

The ecosystem, frankly, is descending into crisis, and the flora and fauna we have all come to know and love are in danger. Of course work is being done to prevent extinctions, but the next Anthropocene related extinction won’t be the first (Pounds et al. 1999) – or even the last.

It is important then to gain an understanding of just how our precious organisms are being affected by human-induced climate change. If we can ever hope to stop their demise, we must first come to understand it. I hope then, that through this blog, and over the next few months, we can explore together the intricacies of climate changes’ power-play over our organisms and gain a new respect for those we share our only planet with. And maybe with a little knowledge, who knows, we might even begin to see a little change.

*Walther et al.(2002) is a great read if you want some background into climate change’s impacts on our flora and fauna, however if you would prefer something shorter and sweeter, the guardian’s summarisation of the IPCC’s report on climate change’s impacts on wildlife --- found here --- is a great place to start too.