Global warming is among the most debated topics in the world since its inception in the late 1980s by environmentalists. Some of the most debatable things about global warming are its effects on a single species or group of organisms. Climate change has constituted an indirect impact on different species or organisms. It is estimated that close to 6300 species face a threat of extinction as a result of global warming ( 1-13) . Global warming is bound to affect the future biodiversity of living organisms if no proper interventions are taken. Such an effect caused by global warming is an evolutionary change in the Pink Salmon species of fish. The fish heavily relies on migration for its survival. The species need for migration is very strong that it is even contained in their genes; this has really been affected by the climate change.
Scientists have found that climatic factor such as variation in temperature has resulted to variation in migration for the fish species as opposed to the normal migration. In Alaska for example the Pink Salmon has been found to be migrating two weeks late than in Creek as compared to the pattern of migration 40 years ago. The millennium ecosystem assessment study shows that a 5 to 30% of earth total Pink Salmon migrations have been affected by the global warming ( 157-166) . The ecological changes in their migration pattern as a result of climatic change is said to be detrimental to the survival. 1 In order to persist on their existence species, individuals and population must produce various adaptive responses through different mechanisms. There are two main ways that the fish species can adapt to the global warming conditions. The response mechanism includes plastic versus genetic. The mechanism taken depends whether the changes are ecological or evolutionary changes. The local water temperatures have increased by at least one degree Celsius in average making it a challenge for adapting. Plastic may provide a short-term response to the changes ( 227-236) . The genetic response, on the other hand, refers to the ability of species to adapt to a new set of conditions genetically through a selection of specific genotypes and mutations. The genotypes are selected according to the changes caused by the global warming effects.
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Empirical evidence suggests that the plastic response is more effective and important to the fish compared to genetic. Species can respond to the changes using the two or can pick out one response mechanism. In the case study the Pink Salmon fish has adopted a plastic mechanism as a climatic response to the changes ( 227-236) . Scientists claim that the fish is able to anticipate a looming temperature variation in the water hence triggering sensible mechanism in the fish. It therefore triggers an early migration before the changes in the water conditions. Researchers also found that early migrating fish stand a better of fitting to handle the warm water.
Notes
Jorgensen, Christian, Katja Enberg, Erin S. Dunlop, Robert Arlinghaus, David S. Boukal, Keith Brander, Bruno Ernande et al. "Ecology-Managing evolving fish stocks." Science 318, no. 5854 (2017): 1247-1248. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880584/
Bradshaw, W. E., and C. M. Holzapfel. "Genetic response to rapid climate change: it's seasonal timing that matters." Molecular ecology 17, no. 1 (2016): 157-166. http://hab.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16
Bibliography
Bradshaw, W. E., and C. M. Holzapfel. "Genetic response to rapid climate change: it's seasonal timing that matters." Molecular ecology 17, no. 1 (2016): 157-166. http://hab.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16
Botkin, Daniel B., Henrik Saxe, Miguel B. Araujo, Richard Betts, Richard HW Bradshaw, Tomas Cedhagen, Peter Chesson et al. "Forecasting the effects of global warming on biodiversity." AIBS Bulletin 57, no. 3 (2017): 227-236. http://hab.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16
Cooney, Robert T., J. R. Allen, M. A. Bishop, D. L. Eslinger, T. Kline, B. L. Norcross, C. P. McRoy et al. "Ecosystem controls of juvenile pink salmon (Onchorynchus gorbuscha) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska." Fisheries Oceanography 10, no. s1 (2014): 1-13. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-species-are-evolving-due-changing-climate-180953133/
Jorgensen, Christian, Katja Enberg, Erin S. Dunlop, Robert Arlinghaus, David S. Boukal, Keith Brander, Bruno Ernande et al. "Ecology-Managing evolving fish ." Science 318, no. 5854 (2017): 1247-1248. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880584/
1 Cooney, Robert T., J. R. Allen, M. A. Bishop, D. L. Eslinger, T. Kline, B. L. Norcross, C. P. McRoy et al. "Ecosystem controls of juvenile pink salmon (Onchorynchus gorbuscha) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska." Fisheries Oceanography 10, no. s1 (2014): 1-13. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-species-are-evolving-due-changing-climate-180953133/
Botkin, Daniel B., Henrik Saxe, Miguel B. Araujo, Richard Betts, Richard HW Bradshaw, Tomas Cedhagen, Peter Chesson et al. "Forecasting the effects of global warming on biodiversity." AIBS Bulletin 57, no. 3 (2017): 227-236. http://hab.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=16
