How Does Climate Change Impact Migrating Animals? — Reading Comprehension
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Grades
6
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This educational reading passage, "How Does Climate Change Impact Migrating Animals?", explores the crucial topic of how climate change affects the survival and behavior of various migrating animal species. Students will learn about the **NGSS standard MS-LS2-4**, which focuses on how changes to ecosystems impact populations. The passage covers key concepts like **global warming**, **habitat** shifts, and the disruption of **migration routes**. It is designed for a Grade 6 reading level, using simple language to explain complex ecological principles and is integrated with audio for enhanced learning. By understanding these impacts, students can grasp the interconnectedness of climate change and biodiversity. This content is developed to provide a foundational understanding of environmental science.
Climate change causes habitat loss, threatening wildlife like polar bears, sea turtles, and koalas.
Our planet Earth is always changing, but recently, it's been changing faster than ever. One big reason for this rapid change is climate change. Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns globally. While some shifts are natural, human activities, like burning fossil fuels for energy, are making these changes happen much faster. A major effect of climate change is global warming, which means the Earth's average temperature is getting hotter.
So, how does a warmer Earth affect animals and their homes? It leads to something called habitat loss. A habitat is the natural environment where an animal, plant, or other organism lives. It's where they find food, water, shelter, and space to raise their young. When a habitat changes too much or disappears, the animals that live there are in trouble.
One way climate change causes habitat loss is through rising temperatures. Many animals and plants are adapted to live in specific temperature ranges. For example, polar bears live in the Arctic, a very cold place. As global warming causes Arctic ice to melt, their hunting grounds shrink. Without enough ice, polar bears struggle to find seals, their main food source, leading to a decrease in their population. This is a direct example of how changes to a physical component (ice) affect a population.
Another impact is sea-level rise. As the Earth gets warmer, glaciers and ice sheets melt, adding more water to the oceans. Also, warmer water expands. Both of these cause sea levels to rise. This can flood coastal habitats, such as wetlands and mangrove forests, which are important homes for many birds, fish, and crabs. When these areas are submerged, the animals lose their homes and food sources. For instance, sea turtles need sandy beaches to lay their eggs. Rising sea levels can reduce the available nesting sites, endangering their populations.
Extreme weather events are also becoming more common and severe due to climate change. These include things like more intense droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and stronger storms. A severe drought can dry up watering holes and kill plants that animals eat, leading to food and water shortages. Huge wildfires, fueled by dry conditions, can destroy vast areas of forest, displacing countless animals and destroying their homes in an instant. For example, koalas in Australia have suffered greatly from bushfires, losing both their eucalyptus tree habitats and food.
The loss of these specific habitats reduces biodiversity, which is the variety of life on Earth. Every species plays a role in its ecosystem. When one species declines or disappears, it can have a ripple effect, impacting other species that depend on it. For example, if insects that pollinate certain plants disappear, those plants might also struggle to reproduce, affecting animals that eat those plants.
In summary, climate change, through global warming, rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and extreme weather, directly destroys or alters the physical habitats that animals need to survive. These changes disrupt ecosystems, reduce available resources, and ultimately lead to a decline in animal populations. Understanding these connections is crucial for protecting our planet's diverse life.
Fun Fact: The largest living structure on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef, is severely threatened by ocean warming and acidification caused by climate change.
