Which is most likely to cause extinction of warm-blooded carnivores?

Which is most likely to cause extinction of warm-blooded carnivores?

• A. Plagues
• B. Meteoroid Striking Earth
• C. Global Climate Change
• D. Evolution

Answer: (C)

Environmental change that reshapes habitats and food webs is a major risk factor for extinction. Warm-blooded carnivores rely on intact ecosystems and a steady supply of prey. Global climate change can alter temperatures, rainfall patterns, and vegetation, shifting where prey species live and when they are active. These changes can reduce prey availability, force predators to travel farther or expend more energy, and disrupt the timing of ecological interactions. When such stress accumulates and adaptation can't keep pace, the risk of extinction for these specialized predators rises across large regions. While diseases, a catastrophic meteor impact, or evolutionary changes can influence survival in some cases, climate change tends to affect many species simultaneously and more gradually, making it a more likely eventual threat to warm-blooded carnivores in a broad sense.

Environmental change that reshapes habitats and food webs is a major risk factor for extinction. Warm-blooded carnivores rely on intact ecosystems and a steady supply of prey. Global climate change can alter temperatures, rainfall patterns, and vegetation, shifting where prey species live and when they are active. These changes can reduce prey availability, force predators to travel farther or expend more energy, and disrupt the timing of ecological interactions. When such stress accumulates and adaptation can't keep pace, the risk of extinction for these specialized predators rises across large regions.

While diseases, a catastrophic meteor impact, or evolutionary changes can influence survival in some cases, climate change tends to affect many species simultaneously and more gradually, making it a more likely eventual threat to warm-blooded carnivores in a broad sense.