Yes, e.g. The 10 species most at risk from climate change
From penguins in Antarctica, to butterflies in Spain, and rodents and coral in the Great Barrier Reef, as the world warms these species are disappearing.
Climate change can result in animals and plants migrating northward to escape the heat, but in many cases suitable habitat becomes scarce or unavailable farther away from the species' natural range. The Propertius duskywing butterfly lives throughout the West Coast of the U.S., and during its caterpillar stage is specialized to live on oak trees. A lack of oak trees in more northern climes, however, would preclude them from moving further north. The range shift of oak trees will happen much slower than the shift for the butterflies, leading to a contracted range.
Yes, taht can be a result of climate change. However it also can be the result of other processes that change the species composition in an area. So not always does climate change can be used to explain envionmental change....
There is no definite answer to your question. There are various factors influencing migration of species within ecosystems and climate change is just one of them. Yes, climate change can do that directly or indirectly through driving changes in other ecological components. There is need for some kind of a cause-effect analysis for you to reach a conclusion that it is climate change. Sometimes it plays a contributory role while the major driving force could be human disturbance.
Yes, climate change can be a factor influencing the distribution of animal species especially if it significantly alters rainfall and temperatures which in-turn influences the habitat niche of animals.
The answer is not always, but the reality is when climate change creates conditions suitable for a new species, that spices shall emerge in such conditions. Climate change may also result in disappearance of an existing species due to the changed circumstances.
Yes, good examples in North America are the expanding northward ranges of animals such as red fox, mule deer, mountain lion, and salmon as warming causes habitats to become more suitable for the tolerances/needs of these species. Thus, these species sometimes "suddenly appear" in habitats where they had never been previously sighted.
Red fox ref:
Elmhagen, B., Berteaux, D., Burgess, R. M., Ehrich, D., Gallant, D., Henttonen, H., ... & Ollila, T. (2017). Homage to Hersteinsson and Macdonald: climate warming and resource subsidies cause red fox range expansion and Arctic fox decline. Polar Research, 36(sup1), 3.
Mountain lion (and other taxa) ref:
Boonstra, R., Boutin, S., Jung, T. S., Krebs, C. J., & Taylor, S. (2017). The impact of rewilding, species introductions and climate change on the structure and function of the Yukon boreal forest ecosystem. Integrative zoology.
Salmon refs:
Yoon, S., Watanabe, E., Ueno, H., & Kishi, M. J. (2015). Potential habitat for chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the Western Arctic based on a bioenergetics model coupled with a three-dimensional lower trophic ecosystem model. Progress in Oceanography, 131, 146-158.
Babaluk, J. A., Reist, J. D., Johnson, J. D., & Johnson, L. (2000). First records of sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) from Banks Island and other records of Pacific salmon in Northwest Territories, Canada. Arctic, 161-164.
The significance of the first record of sockeye salmon at Banks Island is that this species has never been previously sighted in those high-latitude waters, suggesting possible colonization or range expansion. It's posited this is due to warming sea surface temperatures and less harsh conditions in potential freshwater spawning tributaries that never had an established run.
Similarly, colleagues of mine that work in Arctic Alaska have noticed increasing numbers of adult chum and even pink salmon in nearshore areas that suggest colonial straying and possibly establishment of new spawning populations in rivers that were previously inhospitable because of harsh overwintering conditions for hatched juvenile salmon (specifically, decrease in amount of river bedfast ice in winter).
The take-away is that animal populations may shift in geographic range based on their temperature and habitat tolerances, so sometimes they "suddenly appear" in places they haven't been recorded at before. In the Arctic and subarctic, these shifts are thought to be a result of climate warming.
Temperature plays an significant role in the migration of animals. For e.g. Altitudinal migration - migrating to higher elevations in warmer weather, and back down to lower elevations when winter sets in.
The metabolic demands for thermoregulation (the process that allows body to maintain its core internal temperature) is affected by the changes in environmental temperature for ectotherms (such as invertebrates and fish) as well as to some extent for endotherms. So, climate change (warming or cooling) may have some influence on the metabolism and physiological processes of animals and may have marked effects on movement and migration in some areas..
The common migrations are seasonal, latitudinal, reproductive etc.
Yes, climate changes can determine (or at least be associated with) the appearance of plants, animals, and microorganisms. In the state of Georgia, in the last few years, we have seen the appearances of "new" plant diseases and increased populations of insect pests such as whiteflies.
I just wonder whether the increased incidences of influenza might also not be related with climate change.
Article Climate change and influenza: The likelihood of early and se...
Just to add to what many have said.. Migration could be influenced by climate change for animal. Hence, you could find animals in places where they originally were not indigenous to. However in the case of plants, the natural process of pollination has guarantee the wide distribution of plants spores and seed in different areas of the world by actions of birds and wind. However, many of these seeds, are either in a dormant state or they die off when the conditions for growth are not adequate. With climate changing, the environment could become favorable for dormant seed to begin germination and growth. The effect of climate change is a complex mix. It could be advantageous in some cases but i think its largely disadvantageous.