Biodiversity is collapsing worldwide. Here's why.

Summary

This video, in collaboration with the National Center for Science Education, addresses the impact of climate change on biodiversity. It highlights the plight of bees in Colorado's alpine meadows, whose synchronization with flowering plants has been disrupted due to altered blooming times and bee migration to cooler altitudes. The script also discusses the Hawaiian honeycreepers' struggle with habitat loss and climate-induced range restrictions, and the devastating effects of Australian bushfires on local biodiversity. It calls for global action to support conservation efforts and reduce climate change's detrimental effects on ecosystems worldwide.

Takeaways

• 🌸 Climate change in the Colorado Rocky Mountains has led to earlier blooming of wildflowers and bees moving higher up the mountains, disrupting the symbiotic relationship between bees and plants.
• 🐝 Bees are struggling to find food due to this mismatch in timing and location, resulting in a decline in their populations.
• 🌳 The disruption of symbiotic relationships can lead to the extinction of other related organisms that rely on the same ecosystem.
• 🌍 Biodiversity, which measures the variety and variability of life, is being impacted by climate change, habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and pollution.
• 🐦 The Hawaiian honeycreeper, a unique bird species endemic to the Hawaiian islands, is facing extinction due to a combination of invasive species and climate change.
• 🏝️ Islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change, as they have limited space and are experiencing sea-level rise, which restricts the ability of species to change their geographical ranges.
• 🔥 The record-breaking high temperatures and severe drought in Australia led to massive bushfires, which decimated biodiversity and destroyed habitats.
• 🌳 Biodiversity is a network of interactions, and climate change disrupts these networks, affecting the survival of various species.
• 🏞️ Biodiversity hotspots, like Australia, are irreplaceable and support human populations that depend on the land for subsistence.
• 🌱 Indigenous communities are leading the way in climate change policy, planning, and adaptation, with examples like Hawaii's commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
• 🌳 Supporting conservation efforts, engaging with environmental groups, and reducing personal carbon footprints are ways individuals can help preserve biodiversity.

Q & A

What is the impact of climate change on the alpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains?

Climate change has reduced the annual winter snowpack and accelerated snowmelt, leading to earlier blooming of flowers and making them more vulnerable to drought. This has also caused bees to move higher up the mountain for cooler temperatures, disrupting the symbiotic relationship between bees and plants and leading to a decline in bee populations.

How does the change in bee activity due to warming temperatures affect the ecosystem?

The change in bee activity, with bees moving to higher altitudes for cooler temperatures, results in less synchrony between bees and plants. This means bees struggle to find food, which can lead to population decline and potentially the extinction of related organisms that rely on the same plants.

What is biodiversity and why is it important?

Biodiversity is a measure of the variety and variability of life within an ecosystem, including the total number of species, the number of endemic species, and the genetic diversity within a species. It is important because it captures the distribution and variation of life, which is crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance and resilience.

What are the factors contributing to the decline of the Hawaiian honeycreeper?

The decline of the Hawaiian honeycreeper is due to a combination of invasive species, human land-use changes that have decimated their habitats, and climate change forcing the birds to higher altitudes with more limited space, essentially running out of room to live.

Why are islands particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change on biodiversity?

Islands are particularly vulnerable because they have limited space and are home to many endemic ecosystems. Climate change-induced sea-level rise further restricts the geographical range of species like the honeycreeper, making it harder for them to adapt or relocate.

What was the impact of the 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia on biodiversity?

The bushfires in Australia resulted in the destruction of millions of hectares, killing an estimated half a billion mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects, which significantly decreased the country's biodiversity. The fires also affected the availability of food and shelter for many organisms.

How does biodiversity function as a network of interactions?

Biodiversity functions as a network of interactions where species are directly and indirectly dependent on one another. Climate change disrupts these networks by altering habitats and food sources, which can lead to a cascade of effects on the ecosystem.

What are biodiversity hotspots and why are they significant?

Biodiversity hotspots are areas that contain a high number of endemic species that cannot be found anywhere else. They are significant because they are irreplaceable sources of unique plant and animal life and often support human populations that rely on the land for subsistence.

How does climate change pose a threat to indigenous communities?

Climate change poses threats to indigenous communities because it can disrupt their traditional ways of life, which are often dependent on the land and its biodiversity. Indigenous communities contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions but are among the most affected by climate change.

What steps can be taken to help preserve biodiversity in the face of climate change?

Steps to preserve biodiversity include supporting conservation efforts such as preserving critical habitats, restoring degraded ecosystems, connecting with environmental organizations, advocating for environmental policies, and reducing individual carbon footprints.

What role did the National Center for Science Education play in the creation of the video?

The National Center for Science Education collaborated on the video, providing expertise and contributing to the script, which was written by two of their Graduate Student Outreach Fellows, Cat and DJ.

Outlines

00:00

🌸 Impact of Climate Change on Alpine Ecosystems

This video explores the effects of climate change on the alpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where warmer temperatures and reduced snowpack have caused flowers to bloom earlier. However, bees have adapted differently by moving to higher altitudes, resulting in a mismatch between bee and flower cycles. This disruption impacts the entire ecosystem, including small mammals reliant on these plants, highlighting the broader issue of declining biodiversity due to climate change.

05:05

🦜 The Plight of the Hawaiian Honeycreeper

Hawaiian honeycreepers, once abundant across the islands, are now facing extinction due to a combination of invasive species, human land-use changes, and climate change. As these birds are forced to higher altitudes, their habitat becomes more limited. This pattern of biodiversity loss is prevalent on islands globally, exacerbated by climate change and rising sea levels. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that many island species are highly vulnerable to these changes, leading to higher extinction rates compared to mainland species.

🔥 Australia’s Biodiversity Crisis

Australia's record-breaking temperatures and severe drought from 2019-2020 resulted in massive bushfires that decimated wildlife and reduced biodiversity. These fires destroyed habitats, food sources, and disrupted ecological networks. Biodiversity hotspots like Australia are crucial due to their unique endemic species and their role in supporting human populations. Climate change threatens these ecosystems, and Indigenous communities, despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions, are among the most affected.

🌍 Indigenous Leadership and Climate Action

Indigenous communities worldwide, such as Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians, are leading the fight against climate change. They are building new infrastructure and creating relocation plans to adapt. The Hawai'i legislature's pledge to make the state carbon neutral by 2045 is a prime example of such leadership. The video emphasizes the importance of supporting conservation efforts, connecting with environmental groups, and taking local actions to reduce global warming and preserve biodiversity.

💡 Support Our Changing Climate

Charlie, the host of Our Changing Climate, encourages viewers to support the channel on Patreon to gain early access to videos, behind-the-scenes updates, and participate in a members-only group chat. Patrons also vote on an environmental group to receive a portion of the monthly revenue. The video script was written in collaboration with National Center for Science Education Graduate Student Outreach Fellows, Cat and DJ. Charlie expresses his gratitude and enthusiasm for creating the video, inviting viewers to stay tuned for more content.

Keywords

💡Alpine meadows

Alpine meadows refer to high-altitude grasslands found in mountainous regions. In the video, they are depicted as areas where native wildflowers bloom, but are now affected by climate change. This is seen in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where warmer temperatures and reduced snowpack are altering the natural rhythms of plant growth and pollination by bees.

💡Climate change

Climate change is a long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns, often attributed to human activities that increase greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The video discusses how climate change has led to earlier snowmelt, extended growing seasons, and altered the behavior of bees in alpine ecosystems, affecting biodiversity.

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of life in all its forms and interactions, including the number of species, genetic diversity within species, and the variety of ecosystems. The video highlights the impact of climate change on biodiversity, showing how it can lead to the extinction of species and disrupt ecological relationships.

💡Synchrony

Synchrony in an ecological context refers to the coordinated timing of events in nature, such as the blooming of flowers and the emergence of pollinators. The video explains that climate change has disrupted this synchrony between bees and flowering plants, leading to a decline in bee populations and a potential ripple effect on other species.

💡Hawaiian honeycreeper

The Hawaiian honeycreeper is a family of birds endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The video mentions that nearly half of the 51 species are extinct, with climate change and invasive species contributing to habitat loss. This bird serves as an example of how biodiversity is threatened by environmental changes.

💡Invasive species

Invasive species are non-native organisms that can cause harm to the environment, the economy, or human health. In the video, invasive species are noted as one of the factors that have decimated the habitats of the Hawaiian honeycreeper, leading to a significant loss of biodiversity.

💡Endemic species

Endemic species are those that are native and restricted to a certain geographic area. The video discusses how islands, like Hawaii, are home to many endemic species that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and habitat destruction.

💡Habitat fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation refers to the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches. The video connects habitat fragmentation to the decline in biodiversity, as it limits the space and resources available for species like the Hawaiian honeycreeper.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the process of expanding human settlements into previously natural or rural areas. The video mentions urbanization as one of the factors impacting global biodiversity, suggesting that the growth of cities can lead to habitat loss and a decrease in species diversity.

💡Pollution

Pollution refers to the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that can cause adverse change. The video includes pollution as a factor affecting biodiversity, potentially harming species and disrupting ecosystems.

💡Conservation efforts

Conservation efforts are actions taken to protect and manage the Earth's natural resources. The video encourages viewers to support conservation by preserving habitats, restoring ecosystems, and engaging with environmental organizations, emphasizing the importance of local actions in maintaining biodiversity.

Highlights

The video discusses the impact of climate change on the alpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where native wildflowers are blooming earlier due to warmer spring temperatures.

Climate change has led to a reduction in winter snowpack and accelerated snowmelt, extending the growing season for plants but making them more vulnerable to drought.

Bees in the alpine ecosystem are adapting to warmer temperatures by moving higher up the mountain where it is cooler, affecting their synchrony with flowering plants.

The disruption of the symbiotic relationship between bees and plants due to climate change is causing a decline in bee populations and affecting food sources.

The video highlights the potential extinction of related organisms, such as small mammals, due to the interconnected fates within the ecosystem.

Biodiversity, measured by the variety and variability of life, is being impacted globally by climate change, habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and pollution.

The Hawaiian honeycreeper, a unique bird endemic to the Hawaiian islands, is facing extinction due to a combination of invasive species and climate change.

Climate change in Hawaii is forcing the honeycreeper to move to higher altitudes, reducing their available habitat and increasing the risk of extinction.

Islands around the world are experiencing a loss of biodiversity, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimating 305 species vulnerable to climate change effects.

Island species are going extinct at a higher rate than mainland species, with climate change-induced sea-level rise further restricting their geographical ranges.

The record-breaking high temperatures and severe drought in Australia from 2019-2020 led to massive bushfires, significantly decreasing the country's biodiversity.

Biodiversity is likened to a network of interactions, with climate change disrupting these networks and threatening the survival of indigenous communities.

Indigenous communities, such as the Native Hawaiian people, are leading the way in climate change policy, planning, and adaptation, aiming for carbon neutrality.

The video encourages viewers to support conservation efforts, environmental groups, and reduce their carbon footprint to help preserve global biodiversity.

The script for the video was written by two National Center for Science Education Graduate Student Outreach Fellows, emphasizing collaboration in environmental education.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to support the channel on Patreon, contributing to environmental causes and gaining access to exclusive content.

Transcripts

This video was made in collaboration with the National Center for Science Education

It’s the beginning of summertime high in the alpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains,

and colorful displays of native wildflowers are just starting to bloom. But if you listen

carefully, you might notice something a little off. The usual buzz of bees foraging for food

has to yet begin.

In this particular alpine ecosystem, climate change has reduced the annual winter snowpack,

and warmer spring temperatures accelerate snowmelt. This extends the growing season

for plants - meaning that flowers bloom earlier than in decades past - but also makes them

more vulnerable to drought. But for the bees, warming temperatures have had a different

effect - instead of emerging earlier, as the plants did, many are now found higher up the

mountain, where the temperatures are cooler and better suited for bee activity. Bees and

plants are now experiencing less synchrony - they’re less often in the same place at

the same time. As a result, bee’s are struggling to find food and populations have declined.

This disruption of closely evolved symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationships - like

bees and flowering plants - can potentially lead to the extinction of other related organisms,

such as small mammals who dine on alpine plants, because, ultimately, the fate of multiple

species in this ecosystem are closely intertwined. But the bees and flowers in the alpine meadows

of the Colorado Rockies are just a small snapshot of what’s to come. As the climate changes

and the world warms we are beginning to witness a global trend of decreasing biodiversity.

At its simplest, biodiversity is a measure of the variety and variability of life. Measures

of biodiversity include the total number of species in an ecosystem, the number of endemic,

or geographically unique, species, and the genetic diversity of a single species in the

ecosystem. Though there are many ways to measure biodiversity, these all seek to capture the

distribution of the variation of life we see around us. And as we’ve just seen with bees

in Colorado, climate change, along with habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and pollution,

are having huge impacts on global biodiversity. Today we are going to explore some ecosystems

whose biodiversity has been impacted by climate change.

Meet the Hawaiian honeycreeper, a unique family of birds endemic to the Hawaiian islands.

The 51 species of honeycreeper were once abundant throughout the islands, but today almost half

are extinct. A combination of invasive species and human land-use changes have decimated

the honeycreeper’s lower-altitude habitats, while climate change in Hawaii keeps forcing

the birds to roost higher and higher, into much more limited space. Essentially, the

honeycreeper is running out of room to live. It is predicted that in the next 100 years,

all remaining species of this bird will be extinct.

But this loss of biodiversity isn’t specific to Hawaii, it’s occurring on islands around

the world. Islands are not only home to many endemic ecosystems, but they also represent

excellent case studies for understanding how climate change might affect worldwide biodiversity.

Islands have limited space, exacerbated by climate change-induced sea-level rise, which

makes it harder for species like the honeycreeper to change geographical ranges. In Polynesia,

the International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that 305 species may be

vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, through restriction of their ranges,

increases in temperatures, and the effects of fires and other extreme weather events.

Currently, island species go extinct at a much higher rate than mainland species, with

that number expected to go up as climate change becomes more pronounced.

We are seeing the effects of climate change on biodiversity now and will continue to see

them worsen in the future. The record-breaking high temperatures and severe drought in Australia

from 2019-2020 is yet another example. This extreme weather brought an onslaught of unusually

massive bushfires across the country. Millions of hectares were burned, decimating an estimated

half a billion mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects, clearly decreasing the biodiversity

of Australia. The fires also destroyed mature trees that provide shelter for many organisms;

reduced the amount of food available in burnt areas, and decreased biodiversity by limiting

which plants are able to recover from the devastated areas. Biodiversity is like a network

of interactions directly and indirectly dependent on one another and climate change will only

disrupt these networks even more in the future.

Biodiversity hotspots, like Australia, are irreplaceable in that they contain endemic

plants and animals that can’t be found anywhere else. These hot spots also support human populations

that are often dependent on interactions with the land through subsistence agriculture and

foraging. Decreasing biodiversity due to anthropogenic-induced climate change threatens their survival. The

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs states, “Climate change poses

threats and dangers to the survival of Indigenous communities worldwide, even though Indigenous

peoples contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions.” In the face of these challenges,

the report points out, “Many Pacific Islander communities are also building new infrastructure

and creating relocation plans. For example, the Native Hawaiian people are some of the

global leaders in climate change policy, planning, and adaptation. In 2018, the Hawai’i legislature

passed two bills pledging to make the state carbon neutral by 2045.”

We can all draw inspiration from the leadership of indigenous communities in addressing climate

change by taking steps to help preserve biodiversity. This can include supporting conservation efforts,

such as preserving critical habitat and restoring degraded ecosystems or it can mean connecting

with environmental centers, conservation societies, and environmental advocacy groups in your

community. Ultimately, efforts to reduce the rate of global warming are our best bet for

preserving earth’s biodiversity. From advocating for environmental policies in national and

state government, to working with habitat restoration groups, or even reducing your

own carbon footprint, local actions that you take today can have a huge impact on maintaining

the diversity- of bees and other animals - worldwide.

Hey everyone, Charlie here. If you've been watching Our Changing Climate for a while

or just stumbled across this video and are wondering how you can help me make more videos,

then consider supporting the show on Patreon. As an OCC patron, you’ll gain early access

to videos, special behind the scenes updates, as well as a members only group chat. In addition,

each month my supporters vote on an environmental group that I then donate a portion of my monthly

revenue to. So if you want to support the channel or are feeling generous, head over

to patreon.com/ourchangingclimate and become an OCC patron. The script for this video was

written by two National Center for Science Education Graduate Student Outreach Fellows,

Cat and DJ. It was awesome to work with them and I hope you liked the video as much as

I enjoyed making it. Thanks for watching and I will see you in two weeks.