Climate change also alters the life cycles of plants and animals. As temperatures get warmer, many plants are starting to grow and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. Some animals are waking from hibernation sooner or migrating at different times, too. Environmental change occurs as a result of both natural and human processes. Environmental systems and human activities contribute to environmental changes through the transformation and transportation of large quantities of energy and materials.

An obvious one is oxygen depletion caused by organic matter decay (e.g., decay of pulp mill waste).

There are many factors affecting organisms. In marine environments, changes in the temperature, oxigenation, hidraulic regime, substrate, nutrients, salinity, etc., affect to the organisms and produce changes in the biotas living in a specific environment. The causes for those changes are multiple and it is matter of many publications to be summarized here.

Slight environmental changes can result in a corresponding change in living organisms through homeostasis mechanism. These changes depending on prevailing situation and affected organisms can be pH, sunlight, acid, alkaline, water, and many more

Dr Muttala Ismail Adakawa thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms or an entire species. Short-term environmental changes, like droughts, floods, and fires do not give populations time to adapt to the change and force them to move or become extinct. Environmental change occurs as a result of both natural and human processes. Environmental systems and human activities contribute to environmental changes through the transformation and transportation of large quantities of energy and materials. Climate change also alters the life cycles of plants and animals. For example, as temperatures get warmer, many plants are starting to grow and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. Some animals are waking from hibernation sooner or migrating at different times, too. More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on people's livelihoods and communities.Population expansion, overconsumption, overexploitation, pollution, and deforestation are some of the human activities that harm the environment on a global scale. Environmental pollutants can cause health problems like respiratory diseases, heart disease, and some types of cancer. People with low incomes are more likely to live in polluted areas and have unsafe drinking water and children and pregnant women are at higher risk of health problems related to pollution.

dear doctor

I chose this nice subject from web hoping being attractive to read.

"Successful organisms are able to thrive in the conditions of the ecosystem in which they live. The three largest categories of ecosystems on Earth are terrestrial, marine, and freshwater. Each ecosystem has specific advantages and disadvantages for organisms. In all of these ecosystems, there are complex interactions and interdependencies among the living systems and the environment. Evidence of such interactions can be found by examining food webs. For example, in the food web on the right, several interactions and interdependencies are shown. The cacti and flowering plants in the ecosystem use sunlight to produce their own food through photosynthesis. The butterflies depend on the flowering plants as a food resource. In turn, the butterflies help the plants with pollination, a process that must occur for flowering plants to reproduce. The lizards depend on the butterflies as a food source. The hawks and the snakes compete for a resource because both animals depend on the rats for food.

Terrestrial ecosystems are the ecosystems found on land. These ecosystems are limited, to varying degrees, by the amount of water available. A few highly adapted desert organisms are able to store water for long periods of time. For example, cacti can store water in their large stems. However, most organisms that live on land are tied to water sources. They must stay close to water sources and travel if a water source they are using dries up. One advantage of terrestrial ecosystems is that the sunlight is not filtered through water. This more direct source of sunlight allows plants to photosynthesize more efficiently, which increases the food available for consumers.

Marine ecosystems are the ecosystems found in salty water such as oceans, seas, and gulfs. Although water is not limited in these ecosystems, obtaining nutrients and food is sometimes challenging for the organisms that live in these ecosystems. Many marine organisms live closer to the surface of the water because there is more access to sunlight and nutrients. Coastal areas, where marine ecosystems meet land, are often heavily populated because rivers bring a source of nutrients.

Freshwater ecosystems are those found in water with little salt content such as lakes, streams, ponds, and rivers. Freshwater ecosystems are generally smaller than marine ecosystems. This limits available habitats, the places in an ecosystem where organisms live. Because they have more shoreline, freshwater ecosystems generally have a more ready supply of nutrients than marine ecosystems. The soils along shorelines often contain a rich supply of nutrients that enter the freshwater and dissolve.

Natural Changes in Environmental Conditions Organisms are adapted to the general conditions in their ecosystems. For example, land animals have legs for walking and many marine animals have fins or flippers for swimming. Environmental conditions in any ecosystem are not static, meaning they are continually changing. So organisms must also adapt to the changes that occur within their ecosystems. Seasonal environmental changes require organisms to continually adapt to changing conditions. Adaptations for cold winters may not be useful during hot summers. Some animals, for instance, grow thick fur to adapt to cold winters. These animals must shed their fur to adapt to hot summer months. Some ecosystems have extreme seasonal or daily fluctuations. Tide pools, like the one shown on the right, are small pools that form when the ocean covers the shore. Tide pools often dry out during low tide. As these pools dry out, the remaining water becomes very salty. Organisms that are adapted to live in tide pools must adapt to both standard marine conditions, high salt conditions, and dry conditions. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms or an entire species. Short-term environmental changes, like droughts, floods, and fires do not give populations time to adapt to the change and force them to move or become extinct. (Extinct species no longer exist.) Hurricane Katrina caused devastation in Texas and other states in 2005. Millions of people were forced to leave the area. In addition to affecting humans, this short-term environmental change affected many other species. Organisms that could not flee, such as certain reptiles or aquatic species, may have had their population numbers reduced. Organisms that did flee or seek shelter may not have had habitats to come back to. Many plants, including trees, were uprooted or died after being exposed to salt.

Long-term environmental changes are much more gradual and allow populations the opportunity to adapt. For example, natural temperature fluctuations and cycles occur on Earth over thousands of years. These fluctuations may cause changes to an ecosystem that are too gradual to be observed directly. Over time, populations adapt in order to better survive in their changing ecosystems."

Dr Rana Hamza Shakil and Dr Sundus F Hantooshthank you for your contribution to the discussion

Climate change also alters the life cycles of plants and animals. As, as temperatures get warmer, many plants are starting to grow and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. Some animals are waking from hibernation sooner or migrating at different times, too. As the climate changes, some species will adapt by changing their behavior, physical characteristics, or how their bodies function. Others will not be able to adapt. As a result, climate change could lead to expansions, reductions, or extinctions of some populations. Abiotic factors include ambient temperature, amount of sunlight, and pH of the water soil in which an organism lives. Biotic factors would include the availability of food organisms and the presence of biological specificity, competitors, predators, and parasites. Increased rainfall can lead to more runoff of sediments, nutrients, pathogens, and other substances into water bodies. Increases in nutrient runoff, along with warming water temperatures, can also lead to harmful algal blooms. These algal blooms can kill fish, shellfish, and other animals. A variety of local environmental conditions affect the growth of organisms. Genetic factors affect the growth of organisms. The factors that influence the growth of organisms may have more than one cause.Seasonal changes in temperature often influence the growth patterns and reproduction of organisms. Seasonal temperature variations affect when plants flower, when animals breed, when seeds germinate and when animals hibernate. Climate change is altering ecosystem productivity, exacerbating the spread of invasive species, and changing how species interact with each other and with their environment. These changes are reconfiguring ecosystems in unprecedented ways.

Some natural phenomena like forest fire, volcanic eruptions, and an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases are some of the many causes of environmental changes. Humans are also a reason for changes in the environment. The biological levels of organization of living things arranged from the simplest to most complexes are: organelle, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystem, and biosphere. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, many ecosystems are undergoing profound changes, leading to the loss of habitats for many species. As, as temperatures increase, polar ice caps are melting, leading to a loss of habitat for animals such as polar bears, walruses, and seals. All animals and plants need water to survive, and the human body is more than three-fourths water. Life-forms use water to carry nutrients around the body and to take away waste. Water also helps break down food and keep organisms cool, among other very important jobs. Light has an impact on different aspects of life. The colorations of plumage or body, growth, reproduction, migration, diapause in different insects, fishes, birds, mammals and reptiles. Several entities find dark conditions suitable, while some others require light. All animals require food to live. The availability of food is a major factor in how many animals live in an ecosystem. Areas like rainforests with rich food supplies have more species of life than other areas like deserts and the Polar Regions where there is less food. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which has changed the earth's climate. Natural processes, such as changes in the sun's energy and volcanic eruptions, also affect the earth's climate. oday the environment is changing both in term of space and time. The major causes of environmental. Change are the various ati-nature human activities such as urbanization, industrialization, expansion of transport and communication, shrinking of forest cover and wetlands, etc. hese have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth's orbit and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). Global climate change has typically occurred very slowly, over thousands or millions of years. Some of the major environmental issues that are causing immense concern are environmental pollution, air pollution, water pollution, garbage pollution, noise pollution, deforestation, resource depletion, climate change etc.