Habitat Disruption The key impact of global warming on wildlife is habitat disruption, in which ecosystems—places where animals have spent millions of years adapting—rapidly transform in response to climate change, reducing their ability to fulfill the species' needs. How forests are affected by climate change. Coral Reefs. The 10 species most at risk from climate change From penguins in Antarctica, to butterflies in Spain, and rodents and coral in the Great Barrier Reef, as the world warms these species are disappearing This article will answer the question “how does climate change affect animals?” by looking at how climate change in the past changed habitats and even led to the extinction of species. Yet climate change is already harming the special wild places we seek to protect. This increased vulnerability might cause declines in hare populations that could lead to implications for other species. Impacts vary in different kinds of forests. Global warming, scientists say, is responsible not only for shrinking ice caps but also for a surge in extreme weather that is causing heat waves, forest fires, and droughts. Climate change adaptation planning – recognising the very real threat that climate change poses for the species and ecosystems we work with, FFI began a number of years ago to look at our project sites to identify how biodiversity in these areas might be affected and develop strategies for dealing with these vulnerabilities. Mangroves. Photo by National Park Service. The polar bear standing on a chunk of shrinking ice, apparently stranded, has become a familiar image, a symbol of the devastating effects of climate change. Climate change is altering key habitat elements that are critical to wildlife's survival and putting natural resources in jeopardy. These abundant and diverse wildlife resources, which are so important to our culture and well-being, face a bleak future if we don't address climate change. Effects on one part on an ecosystem affect other parts over time, and climate change is already altering many wildlife habitats vital to New England. In tropical forests such as the Amazon, where there’s abundant biodiversity, even modest levels of climate change can cause high levels of extinction. Sub-Arctic boreal forests are likely to be particularly badly affected, with tree lines gradually retreating north as temperatures rise. With climate change, snow in some areas is melting earlier than the hares have grown accustomed to, leaving stark white hares exposed in snow-less landscapes. Sagebrush Steppe. Climate change has become the biggest threat as it impacts the biodiversity. The social impact of climate change will be further affected by society's efforts to prepare and adapt. Eastern Hemlock Forests. Additionally, the effects of the current warming period is having on animals today will be explored . The animal and plant species have shown a change in behavior as they started moving towards the higher altitudes, and it is seen that the birds, butterflies, and plants are moving towards the poles by 6.1 kilometers per decade. Perhaps one of the most devastating impacts of climate change is the degradation of marine habitats. Woods & Forests Warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are driving forests northward, to higher elevation, or to less optimal soil.