What ecological balance can be disrupted due to rising temperatures?

Prepare for UCF's PHY1038 Physics of Energy, Climate Change, and Environment Exam 2. Use our features like flashcards and in-depth explanations for each question to boost your preparation and confidence!

Rising temperatures can significantly disrupt food webs, which are intricate networks that illustrate the feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem. When temperatures increase, they can alter species distribution, behavior, and reproductive patterns. For example, warmer waters in aquatic ecosystems can lead to shifts in fish populations, affecting not only predator-prey relationships but also the availability of food for other organisms, such as birds and mammals that rely on those fish.

Additionally, many species may face stress due to increased temperatures, leading to reduced populations or even extinction. This loss can create imbalances, as predators may find themselves without sufficient prey, and herbivores might overconsume plant life if their natural predators decline. As the interconnected relationships within the web are disrupted, the entire ecosystem can become unstable, causing cascading effects that impact biodiversity and ecosystem health.

The other options, while they may be affected by climate change, do not encapsulate the broad and interconnected effects found in food webs as comprehensively. Changes in floral beauty, urban landscapes, and photosynthesis rates each have specific implications but don't convey the depth and system-based relationships that food webs represent.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy