scholarly journals Climate change impacts in multispecies systems: drought alters food web size structure in a field experiment

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1605) ◽  
pp. 2990-2997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Woodward ◽  
Lee E. Brown ◽  
Francois K. Edwards ◽  
Lawrence N. Hudson ◽  
Alexander M. Milner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Experimental Data ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
Multispecies Systems

Experimental data from intergenerational field manipulations of entire food webs are scarce, yet such approaches are essential for gauging impacts of environmental change in natural systems. We imposed 2 years of intermittent drought on stream channels in a replicated field trial, to measure food web responses to simulated climate change. Drought triggered widespread losses of species and links, with larger taxa and those that were rare for their size, many of which were predatory, being especially vulnerable. Many network properties, including size–scaling relationships within food chains, changed in response to drought. Other properties, such as connectance, were unaffected. These findings highlight the need for detailed experimental data from different organizational levels, from pairwise links to the entire food web. The loss of not only large species, but also those that were rare for their size, provides a newly refined way to gauge likely impacts that may be applied more generally to other systems and/or impacts.

scholarly journals Climate change impacts on body size and food web structure on mountain ecosystems

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1605) ◽  
pp. 3050-3057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Lurgi ◽  
Bernat C. López ◽  
José M. Montoya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Elevation Range

The current distribution of climatic conditions will be rearranged on the globe. To survive, species will have to keep pace with climates as they move. Mountains are among the most affected regions owing to both climate and land-use change. Here, we explore the effects of climate change in the vertebrate food web of the Pyrenees. We investigate elevation range expansions between two time-periods illustrative of warming conditions, to assess: (i) the taxonomic composition of range expanders; (ii) changes in food web properties such as the distribution of links per species and community size-structure; and (iii) what are the specific traits of range expanders that set them apart from the other species in the community—in particular, body mass, diet generalism, vulnerability and trophic position within the food web. We found an upward expansion of species at all elevations, which was not even for all taxonomic groups and trophic positions. At low and intermediate elevations, predator : prey mass ratios were significantly reduced. Expanders were larger, had fewer predators and were, in general, more specialists. Our study shows that elevation range expansions as climate warms have important and predictable impacts on the structure and size distribution of food webs across space.

scholarly journals The role of interactions in a world implementing adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1934) ◽  
pp. 217-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Warren
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Global Mean Temperature ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Single Region ◽  
Integrated Assessments

The papers in this volume discuss projections of climate change impacts upon humans and ecosystems under a global mean temperature rise of 4°C above preindustrial levels. Like most studies, they are mainly single-sector or single-region-based assessments. Even the multi-sector or multi-region approaches generally consider impacts in sectors and regions independently, ignoring interactions. Extreme weather and adaptation processes are often poorly represented and losses of ecosystem services induced by climate change or human adaptation are generally omitted. This paper addresses this gap by reviewing some potential interactions in a 4°C world, and also makes a comparison with a 2°C world. In a 4°C world, major shifts in agricultural land use and increased drought are projected, and an increased human population might increasingly be concentrated in areas remaining wet enough for economic prosperity. Ecosystem services that enable prosperity would be declining, with carbon cycle feedbacks and fire causing forest losses. There is an urgent need for integrated assessments considering the synergy of impacts and limits to adaptation in multiple sectors and regions in a 4°C world. By contrast, a 2°C world is projected to experience about one-half of the climate change impacts, with concomitantly smaller challenges for adaptation. Ecosystem services, including the carbon sink provided by the Earth’s forests, would be expected to be largely preserved, with much less potential for interaction processes to increase challenges to adaptation. However, demands for land and water for biofuel cropping could reduce the availability of these resources for agricultural and natural systems. Hence, a whole system approach to mitigation and adaptation, considering interactions, potential human and species migration, allocation of land and water resources and ecosystem services, will be important in either a 2°C or a 4°C world.

scholarly journals The impact of Hurricane Michael on longleaf pine habitats in Florida

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Zampieri ◽  
Stephanie Pau ◽  
Daniel K. Okamoto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
The North ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem of the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) is a global biodiversity hotspot. Disturbances such as tropical storms play an integral role in ecosystem maintenance in these systems. However, altered disturbance regimes as a result of climate change may be outside the historical threshold of tolerance. Hurricane Michael impacted the Florida panhandle as a Category 5 storm on October 10th, 2018. In this study, we estimate the extent of Florida longleaf habitat that was directly impacted by Hurricane Michael. We then quantify the impact of Hurricane Michael on tree density and size structure using a Before-After study design at four sites (two wet flatwood and two upland pine communities). Finally, we identify the most common type of tree damage at each site and community type. We found that 39% of the total remaining extent of longleaf pine habitat was affected by the storm in Florida alone. Tree mortality ranged from 1.3% at the site furthest from the storm center to 88.7% at the site closest. Most of this mortality was in mature sized trees (92% mortality), upon which much of the biodiversity in this habitat depends. As the frequency and intensity of extreme events increases, management plans that mitigate for climate change impacts need to account for large-scale stochastic mortality events in order to effectively preserve critical habitats.

Planktivory by the predacious cladoceran Bythotrephes longimanus: effects on zooplankton size structure and abundance

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 1865-1872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Wahlström ◽  
Erika Westman
Keyword(s):  
Size Structure ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Total Zooplankton ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

In order to study density-dependent effects of invertebrate planktivory, four different densities of Bythotrephes longimanus were inoculated into mesocosm enclosures with a mixed zooplankton community. Changes in size structure and abundance of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities were recorded over a period of 3 weeks. High densities of Bythotrephes were able to reduce total zooplankton abundance, which was mainly due to a decrease in the density of the relatively large species Holopedium gibberum. The density of the smaller species Bosmina longirostris was also reduced with increasing densities of Bythotrephes, whereas rotifer abundance remained largely unaffected. The mean size of Holopedium increased with increasing densities of Bythotrephes. Despite the decrease in total zooplankton biomass in high-Bythotrephes treatments, no effect of Bythotrephes density on primary producers was observed. Our experiment shows that predacious cladocerans may reduce macrozooplankton biomass, large as well as small species. Predation from invertebrate planktivores results in a zooplankton community consisting of larger individuals. Comparing our experimental densities with densities of Bythotrephes found in natural systems suggests that invertebrate planktivores may influence size structure and abundance of zooplankton communities even in lakes with planktivorous fish.

A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems

Nature ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 421 (6918) ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Parmesan ◽  
Gary Yohe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Natural Systems

scholarly journals Planning and Development Confront in Climate Change Context

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Bharat Gotame
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Living Organism ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Key Words Climate Change ◽  
Long Time ◽  
To Come

There are ample of evidences to prove the impacts of Climate Change and will be with us for a long time to come. It will have significant impact on natural systems so that most of the habitat of living organism is directly influenced moreover the human being (which is heterotrophic in nature) and their roles to sustain the development and earth at summary are being vulnerable. This literature review article tries to summarize some climate change scenario and its increasing impact over the livelihood assets and their direct/indirect influence to development fronts. Nepal a developing country having more than 70% of mountainous regions with agriculture based economy is more susceptible to climate change impacts. Planning of development activities remarked with increasing trend of climate change impact with pivotal theme should make the development more sustainable and long living. Existing initiatives to make adaptation options are insufficient to halt the expected danger and redesigning the module of development is urgent in Nepal. On adaptation and vulnerability, a continuing effort must take place to exchange experiences and look for emerging best practices and frameworks. The urgency of the issue requires planners, policy makers, evaluators, practitioners and researchers to become involved in designing and in empowering communities and government as well. Key Words: Climate change, Development, Planning, Economic impact, Adaptation   DOI: 10.3126/init.v3i0.2503 The Initiation Vol.3 2009 p.119-127

scholarly journals In a warmer Arctic, mosquitoes avoid increased mortality from predators by growing faster

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1815) ◽  
pp. 20151549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Culler ◽  
Matthew P. Ayres ◽  
Ross A. Virginia
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Adult Stage ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Demographic Model ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Daily Mortality ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Faster Development

Climate change is altering environmental temperature, a factor that influences ectothermic organisms by controlling rates of physiological processes. Demographic effects of warming, however, are determined by the expression of these physiological effects through predator–prey and other species interactions. Using field observations and controlled experiments, we measured how increasing temperatures in the Arctic affected development rates and mortality rates (from predation) of immature Arctic mosquitoes in western Greenland. We then developed and parametrized a demographic model to evaluate how temperature affects survival of mosquitoes from the immature to the adult stage. Our studies showed that warming increased development rate of immature mosquitoes ( Q 10 = 2.8) but also increased daily mortality from increased predation rates by a dytiscid beetle ( Q 10 = 1.2–1.5). Despite increased daily mortality, the model indicated that faster development and fewer days exposed to predators resulted in an increased probability of mosquito survival to the adult stage. Warming also advanced mosquito phenology, bringing mosquitoes into phenological synchrony with caribou. Increases in biting pests will have negative consequences for caribou and their role as a subsistence resource for local communities. Generalizable frameworks that account for multiple effects of temperature are needed to understand how climate change impacts coupled human–natural systems.

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