The change was big in coldblooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures were enough to make reptiles smaller. An increase of 1 degree centigrade caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism (新陈代谢). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growth. There is a recent report on warmer temperatures' negative effects on plankton, the base of the marine ecosystem.
Warmblooded animals weren't immune from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Mammals have been miniaturized too. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaker. And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records.
This is not the first time this has happened in Earth's history. 55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a long time than the current climate change.
The speed of modern climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times. So, it is likely that more negative influences of climate change will be shown in future.
文章大意:本文是一篇科普说明文。主要报道了一项新发现,研究人员发现了气候变暖会导致地球上许多生物个体变小的现象。
【2017届贵州省桐梓县高考英语一轮写作阅读练习:3(含解析)】相关文章:
★ 湖南省汝城二中2014届高考英语一轮复习阅读训练 (15)
★ 四川省2016届高考英语一轮复习课时作业(28) Module 4 Carnival 外研版必修5
★ 贵州省贵阳市2014高考英语(新人教版)一轮阅读训练(40)附答案
★ 【课堂新坐标】2017届高考英语(通用版)二轮复习短文改错专题训练:训练3 短文改错(Ⅲ)(含解析)
★ 【课堂新坐标】2017届高考英语(通用版)二轮复习书面表达专题训练:技法2 引人入胜的开篇语(含解析)
★ 2017届高考英语二轮复习大题冲关秘籍语法填空:体验真题(含解析)
★ 湖南省汝城二中2014届高考英语一轮复习阅读训练 (97)
最新
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-24
2017-04-21
2017-04-21