**12. The effects of climate change on biodiversity**

Climate change poses new challenges to protect biodiversity. Species ranges and ecological dynamics are currently responding to recent climate change, and current reserves will not support all species designed to protect them. These problems are exacerbated by other global changes. While reviewing the past 22 years of biodiversity conservation research, Heller et al. [70] attempted to identify potential solutions, agreements, and goals to address climate change. In this study, 524 recommendations from 113 articles were published in 57 different journals and three books were identified and introduced.

Research illustrates that species respond to climate change challenges by moving their Niches space (ecological niche) along three axes of time (phenology), location (territory), and self (physiology). There is relatively little evidence of extinction caused by climate change. Studies prove that habitat destruction poses the greatest global threat to biodiversity over the coming decades [5].

At higher levels of biodiversity, climate can cause changes at the plant community level, predicting that this can affect the integrity of biomes enough. The 1000-year period predicts the displacement of 5–20% of the planet's ecosystems, especially the coniferous forests of temperate (regions, tundra, savannah, and northern forests) [71].

Recent assessments in tropical South America show that a large part of the Amazon rainforest is replaced by tropical savannas [72]. Coral coasts are expected to be threatened and destroyed by warmer and acidification of ocean water [73].

### **13. Agricultural adaptation to climate change**

Climate change will have significant impacts on agricultural production and food security in the future. In the third assessment report, Intergovernmental Panel

#### *Climate Change and Its Consequences in Agriculture DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101444*

on Climate Change presented several scenarios and examines their implications for global regions. For Africa, it is predicted that many African countries will face a decline in crop yields, and due to droughts, floods, and other extreme events, there is more pressure on water resources, food security, and human health in these countries.

On the Asian continent, food security of the continent is also threatened in many countries located in arid, tropical, and temperate regions due to heat, water, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, and tropical storms. In Latin America, food security in countries, especially livelihood agriculture, is expected to be at risk. At higher latitudes, prolongation of the growing season and rising temperatures due to climate change will benefit agriculture.

Plants can cope with climatic conditions to some extent, some of them have natural adaptability, such as specific cultivars of rice that blossom in the morning to avoid the destructive effects of higher temperatures late in the day. Fewer studies have been conducted on the potential of plant resistance to high-temperature stress. The highest compatibility of products against environmental stresses has been made possible by humans. There are, fortunately, valuable experiences to deal with adverse weather events such as drought, floods, and salinity among farmer communities. For example, new irrigation methods, water stress and water salinity resistant species, and high-yielding plant species have been proposed.

The International Research Center (CGIAR) is one of the most important advisory groups that offers global experiences in agricultural adaptation to climate change conditions, and countries can share their research efforts with the center. Some compatibility methods are presented in **Table 2** [74].


#### **Table 2.**

*Examples of adaptation options for agriculture.*
