Changes in Geographical Features

Urbanization refers to the rapid growth and expansion of cities characterized by increased population density, economic development and infrastructure transformation, replacing rural landscapes with urban environments.

Effects of Urbanization on freshwater bodies and surrounding ecosystems – 

1. Urbanization causes habitat destruction and fragmentation, disrupting aquatic ecosystems and isolating wildlife populations drastically.
2. Urbanization alters water flow and circulation patterns, causing changed currents, reduced water levels and stagnation.
3. Urbanization causes increased sedimentation and erosion, clouding waters, altering habitats and harming aquatic life severely.
4. Urbanization alters water temperature and chemistry, increasing pollutants, nutrients and thermal stress, harming aquatic life.
5. Urbanization increases nutrient pollution, fueling algae blooms and aquatic degradation.
6. Urbanization introduces pathogens, bacteria and viruses, threatening human and aquatic health.
7. Urbanization increases turbidity, reducing water clarity, harming aquatic life severely.
8. Urbanization disrupts food webs, altering species interactions and ecosystem functions.
9. Urbanization escalates water treatment costs, burdening municipalities and ratepayers financially.

Mitigation strategies include restoring wetlands, implementing green infrastructure, reducing stormwater runoff, promoting water conservation, enhancing wastewater treatment and establishing buffer zones to protect freshwater bodies and surrounding ecosystems effectively.

Climate change is a long term shift in Earth’s temperature and weather patterns caused by human activities releasing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, affecting ecosystems globally.Climate change significantly impacts migratory patterns of species, leading to ecological consequences that resonate throughout entire ecosystems.

Altered Migratory Patterns – 

1. Temperature and precipitation changes alter migration cues, disrupting species instinctual timing, routes and food synchronization, causing ecological mismatches.
2. Shifts in phenology desynchronize species arrival with food sources causing hunger, reproductive failures and population declines suddenly.
3. Rising seas and altered coastlines displace marine species, forcing them to migrate, adapt or face extinction abruptly.

Ecological consequences –

1. Extinctions, population declines and habitat destruction erode ecosystem resilience and ecological stability permanently.
2. Altered species composition, disrupted nutrient cycles and changed processes compromise ecosystem function and resilience drastically.
3. Shifting species ranges, warmer temperatures and altered habitats spread pathogens among vulnerable populations rapidly.
4. Shifting birth and death rates, age structures and dispersal patterns impact species survival.

Governments worldwide launch initiatives to combat climate driven migration disruptions include wildlife corridors, habitat restoration, climate resilient conservation, research grants and international agreements protect species movements by preserving ecosystem balance and biodiversity.

Invasive species are plants, animals or tiny organisms that don’t belong in an area causing harm to the environment, economy and native wildlife by spreading quickly out of control.

Key factors contributing to Invasive Species rise – 

1. Disturbed soil and vegetation disrupt ecosystem balance, creating opportunities for invasive species to establish.
2. Altered nutrient cycles due to human activities favor invasive species growth, outcompeting native vegetation rapidly.
3. Climate and microclimate changes alter ecosystem conditions, enabling invasive species to thrive and outcompete natives.
4. Human activities like trade, travel, agriculture and landscaping intentionally/unintentionally introduce invasive species, spreading rapidly.

Habitat loss and the rise of invasive species are interconnected and synergistic processes that exacerbate the degradation of altered ecosystems i.e.

1. Habitat loss weakens native species competitive advantages by facilitating invasive species establishment, displacement and extinction, disrupting predator prey relationships and ecosystem resilience.
2. Habitat loss reduces biodiversity, weakening ecosystem resilience, making native species more vulnerable to invasive species colonization, establishment and dominance, exacerbating ecological disruption.
3. Habitat fragmentation creates isolated patches by facilitating invasive species spread via corridors while reduced connectivity hinders native species migration, exacerbating vulnerability to invasion.

Governments implement initiatives to mitigate habitat loss and invasive species by regulating trade, enforcing biosecurity, restoring habitats, monitoring ecosystems and promoting sustainable land use practices, supporting research and public awareness campaigns.

India faces severe environmental changes i.e.rising temperatures, melting Himalayan glaciers, erratic monsoons, droughts, water scarcity, air and water pollution, deforestation, land degradation and biodiversity loss, threatening ecosystems and human livelihoods.Biodiversity loss and ecosystem resilience are intricately linked. Here’s how –

1. Species diversity enhances ecosystem services by providing pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and climate regulation, ensuring resilience to environmental changes and ecosystem stability.
2. Ecosystems with high biodiversity exhibit enhanced resilience to environmental changes due to functional redundancy, adaptive capacity and niche diversification, buffering against disturbances.
3. Loss of keystone species triggers cascading effects, disrupting ecosystem processes and leading to population declines, extinctions and reduced ecosystem resilience, exacerbating vulnerability.
4. Functional redundancy where multiple species perform similar roles, ensures ecosystem resilience by maintaining essential processes, compensating for species loss and adapting to environmental changes.
5. Habitat destruction and fragmentation reduce biodiversity by isolating populations, disrupting species interactions and eliminating niches, leading to population decline, extinction and ecosystem degradation.

To address biodiversity loss and enhance ecosystem resilience, recommendations include conserving natural habitats, restoring degraded lands and promoting sustainable practices. International agreements like the Paris Agreement, Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals support these efforts, fostering ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity to environmental changes.