BIOLOGY 121 discussion post

Posted: September 12th, 2023

BIOLOGY 121 discussion post Need a 1-2 paragraph reply to a discussion post attached down below in quotation marks. You don’t have to read the information down below, however, it may help to better understand the topic.

The methods they used were calculating thermal safety margins (TSMs) of different marine and terrestrial ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) for the present day and predicted for the future under global warming. A TSM is calculated as the difference between the animal’s thermal limit (the hottest temperature it can handle physiologically) and the extreme hot hourly body temperature in the coolest habitat possible (so the hottest the animal gets in its coolest habitat). So if you have a small TSM, that means you’re already living very close to your physiological limit, whereas if you have a larger TSM, you have some wiggle room and are not as close to your physiological limit.

Here’s a graph of their results, which you’ll be breaking down for this assignment:

Thermal safety margin vs. latitude for marine and terrestrial ectotherms. See text for long image description. The thermal safety margin is on the y axis, and the latitude is on the x axis. All the raw data for all the animals they looked at are in the green squares (terrestrial non-amphibian animals), green triangles (terrestrial amphibian animals like frogs), open circles (marine sedentary animals, so they don’t move), and x’s (marine mobile animals). The green solid line is the best fit line for the terrestrial animals in the present day climate. The green dashed line is the best fit line for the terrestrial animals in the future under projected global warming. The blue solid line is the best fit line for the marine animals in the present day climate. The blue dashed line is the best fit line for the marine animals in the future under projected global warming.

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“This graft explains where the different animal groups will be as global warming affects them. The Animal groups are Terrestrial amphibians, Terrestrial non – amphibians, Marine sedentary, and Marine Mobile animals.

Now to explain where the animals will be affected in Latitude ways in the Northern side positively or negatively. The Terrestrial amphibian are located at first in the present -30 N and as time goes on with global warming it ends with an estimated location at +40 N. The Terrestrial amphibians are located at first at -40 N and as more global warming happens during time they end up located at +50 N. The Marine Sedentary animals are located at first at -80 N and as more global warming happens during time they end up located at +35 N. The Marine Mobile is located at first at -80 N and as more global warming happens over time they end up located at +35 N. The lines of terrestrial animals go up then down and back up. The lines for Marine animals are low and down for a bit but then go straight up.

Now Explain the Thermal Safety Margin of each animal group and how Celsius is affected by global warming in the present and future. Let’s start with Terrestrial Amphibians. They are shown between the start of 3 C and the end at 30 C the more they move Northern. Next, Terrestrial Non- Non-Amphibians are shown between the start of 1 C and the end at 28 C the more they move north. Then, the Marine Mobile is shown between the start of 7 C and the end at 23 C the more they move north. Lastly, The Marine Sedentary is shown between the start of 3 C and at the end of 14 C the move they move north.

To list the different animals and their formal groups. Terrestrial non-amphibian example animals are snakes and Lizards. Terrestrial Amphibian examples are Frogs, toads, and salamanders. Marine mobile animals examples are Dolphins, green sea turtles, and sea otters. Lastly, Marine Sedentary animals examples are Starfish and Anemones.”

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The graph and explanation provided help illustrate how different animal groups may be impacted by rising global temperatures due to climate change. As the post notes, terrestrial amphibians and non-amphibians as well as marine mobile and sedentary species are projected to shift their ranges further north over time as average temperatures increase globally. This makes intuitive sense, as animals will seek out environments that are within their thermal limits for survival. The lines on the graph tracking changes in thermal safety margin versus latitude reinforce this concept – they show that animal populations’ proximity to their physiological temperature thresholds will change as warming pushes them to higher latitudes with more favorable conditions.
An important takeaway is that rates of range shifts and changes in thermal safety margins differ between taxonomic groups and habitats. Terrestrial species generally are able to shift ranges more readily than marine animals tethered to particular coastlines. Even among marine animals, mobile species like dolphins may adapt faster by following preferred temperature zones than slower moving or stationary creatures such as anemones. This has implications for conservation – some types of animals may be less able to keep pace with rapid modern climate change. Overall, the study highlights the diverse threats warming poses to ectothermic life and the value of considering vulnerabilities both between and within ecosystems.