Analyzing Habitat Size & Loss

The majority of global páramo ecosystems form a neotropical high altitude ecoregion distributed mainly along the Andean mountain range in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The majority and the largest páramos are found within Colombia and contain endemic species seen nowhere else like the 47 species of fraileón. Each ecosystem is an island, existing between 3000 to 4800 meters above sea level because of the climate that exists at these altitudes. Global warming is causing an upward shift in alpine climate zones. This poses a survival threat to the frailejón that will not be able to naturally keep up with the rate of climate change because of how they reproduce and their rate of growth (1 cm per year). If you do not know anything or much about these plants, watch this music video of Frailejón Ernesto Pérez.

Previous: Ecosystem Services

Next: Summative Assessment

07 Island Biogeography

HIPPCO Videos

Island Biogeography Lab

Lab

How does island distance affect species dispersal? Use plates, lentils and your throwing abilities to test the theory.

1.6 Analyzing Habitat Fragmentation

Formative

Interested in More? Check this out!

Current events related to HIPPCO

The Sahara — the world’s biggest hot desert — is getting even bigger. In fact, it is currently about 10 percent larger than it was nearly a century ago, and scientists suggest that climate change is partly responsible. The desert’s arid conditions mean that soils take a long time to recover when they are disturbed. This lack of water makes desert landscapes vulnerable. Climate change is reducing snowpacks and melting glaciers that provide freshwater to desert communities. Increasing evaporation and dust storms are pushing deserts out into communities at their edges. This desertification is exacerbated by human exploitation of ecosystems that border deserts, causing land degradation, soil erosion and sterility, and a loss of biodiversity.

Global warming is the primary cause of current sea level rise. Rising temperatures are warming ocean waters, which expand as the temperature increases. Land ice—glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets—is shrinking at a faster rate in response to rising temperatures, adding water to the world's oceans. Out of 1,200 species tracked by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 25% are likely to lose at least half of their current habitat due to sea level rise alone.