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Conradi T, Eggli U, Kreft H, Schweiger AH, Weigelt P, Higgins SI. Reassessment of the risks of climate change for terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:888-900. [PMID: 38409318 PMCID: PMC11090816 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02333-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Forecasting the risks of climate change for species and ecosystems is necessary for developing targeted conservation strategies. Previous risk assessments mapped the exposure of the global land surface to changes in climate. However, this procedure is unlikely to robustly identify priority areas for conservation actions because nonlinear physiological responses and colimitation processes ensure that ecological changes will not map perfectly to the forecast climatic changes. Here, we combine ecophysiological growth models of 135,153 vascular plant species and plant growth-form information to transform ambient and future climatologies into phytoclimates, which describe the ability of climates to support the plant growth forms that characterize terrestrial ecosystems. We forecast that 33% to 68% of the global land surface will experience a significant change in phytoclimate by 2070 under representative concentration pathways RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5, respectively. Phytoclimates without present-day analogue are forecast to emerge on 0.3-2.2% of the land surface and 0.1-1.3% of currently realized phytoclimates are forecast to disappear. Notably, the geographic pattern of change, disappearance and novelty of phytoclimates differs markedly from the pattern of analogous trends in climates detected by previous studies, thereby defining new priorities for conservation actions and highlighting the limits of using untransformed climate change exposure indices in ecological risk assessments. Our findings suggest that a profound transformation of the biosphere is underway and emphasize the need for a timely adaptation of biodiversity management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Conradi
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Urs Eggli
- Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, Grün Stadt Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas H Schweiger
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Patrick Weigelt
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
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2
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Siegel KJ, Cavanaugh KC, Dee LE. Balancing multiple management objectives as climate change transforms ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:381-395. [PMID: 38052686 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
As climate change facilitates significant and persistent ecological transformations, managing ecosystems according to historical baseline conditions may no longer be feasible. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework can guide climate-informed management interventions, but in its current implementations RAD has not yet fully accounted for potential tradeoffs between multiple - sometimes incompatible - ecological and societal goals. Key scientific challenges for informing climate-adapted ecosystem management include (i) advancing our predictive understanding of transformations and their socioecological impacts under novel climate conditions, and (ii) incorporating uncertainty around trajectories of ecological change and the potential success of RAD interventions into management decisions. To promote the implementation of RAD, practitioners can account for diverse objectives within just and equitable participatory decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Siegel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Kyle C Cavanaugh
- Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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3
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Miller ZJ, O'Brien C, Canfield C, Sullivan L. Show-Me Resilience: Assessing and Reconciling Rural Leaders' Perceptions of Climate Resilience in Missouri. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 72:771-784. [PMID: 37253850 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01836-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Rural areas of the United States play a vital role in coping with, adapting to and mitigating climate change, yet they often lag urban areas in climate planning and action. Rural leaders-e.g., policymakers, state/federal agency professionals, non-profit organization leadership, and scholars - are pivotal for driving the programs and policies that support resilient practices, but our understanding of their perspectives on climate resilience writ large is limited. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 rural leaders in Missouri to elucidate their conceptualizations of climate resilience and identify catalysts and constraints for climate adaptation planning and action across rural landscapes. We investigated participants' perceptions of the major vulnerabilities of rural communities and landscapes, threats to rural areas, and potential steps for making rural Missouri more resilient in the face of climate change. We found that most rural leaders conceptualized climate resilience as responding to hazardous events rather than anticipating or planning for hazardous trends. The predominant threats identified were flooding and drought, which aligns with climate projections for the Midwest. Participants proposed a wide variety of specific steps to enhance resilience but had the highest agreement about the utility of expanding existing programs. The most comprehensive suite of solutions was offered by participants who conceptualized resilience as involving social, ecological, and economic systems, underscoring the importance of broad thinking for developing more holistic solutions to climate-associated threats and the potential impact of greater collaboration across domains. We highlight and discuss a Missouri-based levee setback project that was identified by participants as a showcase of collaborative resilience-building.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary J Miller
- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
- The Nature Conservancy, Columbia, MO, USA.
| | | | - Casey Canfield
- Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, USA
| | - Lauren Sullivan
- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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4
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Duniway MC, Benson C, Nauman TW, Knight A, Bradford JB, Munson SM, Witwicki D, Livensperger C, Van Scoyoc M, Fisk TT, Thoma D, Miller ME. Geologic, geomorphic, and edaphic underpinnings of dryland ecosystems: Colorado Plateau landscapes in a changing world. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Travis W. Nauman
- US Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Moab Utah USA
| | - Anna Knight
- US Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Moab Utah USA
| | - John B. Bradford
- US Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Seth M. Munson
- US Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Dana Witwicki
- National Park Service Northern Colorado Plateau Network Moab Utah USA
- National Park Service Natural Resource Condition Assessment Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Carolyn Livensperger
- National Park Service Northern Colorado Plateau Network Moab Utah USA
- National Park Service Capitol Reef National Park Fruita Utah USA
| | | | - Terry T. Fisk
- National Park Service Southeast Utah Group Parks Moab Utah USA
- National Park Service Water Resources Division Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - David Thoma
- National Park Service Northern Colorado Plateau Network Moab Utah USA
| | - Mark E. Miller
- National Park Service Southeast Utah Group Parks Moab Utah USA
- National Park Service Wrangell‐St. Elias National Park and Preserve Copper Center Alaska USA
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5
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Felton AJ, Shriver RK, Stemkovski M, Bradford JB, Suding KN, Adler PB. Climate disequilibrium dominates uncertainty in long-term projections of primary productivity. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2688-2698. [PMID: 36269682 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Rapid climate change may exceed ecosystems' capacities to respond through processes including phenotypic plasticity, compositional turnover and evolutionary adaption. However, consequences of the resulting climate disequilibria for ecosystem functioning are rarely considered in projections of climate change impacts. Combining statistical models fit to historical climate data and remotely-sensed estimates of herbaceous net primary productivity with an ensemble of climate models, we demonstrate that assumptions concerning the magnitude of climate disequilibrium are a dominant source of uncertainty: models assuming maximum disequilibrium project widespread decreases in productivity in the western US by 2100, while models assuming minimal disequilibrium project productivity increases. Uncertainty related to climate disequilibrium is larger than uncertainties from variation among climate models or emissions pathways. A better understanding of processes that regulate climate disequilibria is essential for improving long-term projections of ecological responses and informing management to maintain ecosystem functioning at historical baselines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Felton
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.,Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Robert K Shriver
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.,Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | - John B Bradford
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Katharine N Suding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Institute of Alpine and Arctic Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Peter B Adler
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
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6
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Bouska KL, De Jager NR, Houser JN. Resisting-Accepting-Directing: Ecosystem Management Guided by an Ecological Resilience Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:381-400. [PMID: 35661235 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01667-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As anthropogenic influences push ecosystems past tipping points and into new regimes, complex management decisions are complicated by rapid ecosystem changes that may be difficult to reverse. For managers who grapple with how to manage ecosystems under novel conditions and heightened uncertainty, advancing our understanding of regime shifts is paramount. As part of an ecological resilience assessment, researchers and managers have collaborated to identify alternate regimes and build an understanding of the thresholds and factors that govern regime shifts in the Upper Mississippi River System. To describe the management implications of our assessment, we integrate our findings with the recently developed resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework that explicitly acknowledges ecosystem regime change and outlines management approaches of resisting change, accepting change, or directing change. More specifically, we developed guidance for using knowledge of desirability of current conditions, distance to thresholds, and general resilience (that is, an ecosystem's capacity to cope with uncertain disturbances) to navigate the RAD framework. We applied this guidance to outline strategies that resist, accept, or direct change in the context of management of aquatic vegetation, floodplain vegetation, and fish communities across nearly 2000 river kilometers. We provide a case study for how knowledge of ecological dynamics can aid in assessing which management approach(es) are likely to be most ecologically feasible in a changing world. Continued learning from management decisions will be critical to advance our understanding of how ecosystems respond and inform the management of ecosystems for desirable and resilient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L Bouska
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA.
| | - Nathan R De Jager
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA
| | - Jeffrey N Houser
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA
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7
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Hylander K, Greiser C, Christiansen DM, Koelemeijer IA. Climate adaptation of biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13847. [PMID: 34622491 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Conservation of biodiversity in managed forest landscapes needs to be complemented with new approaches given the threat from rapid climate change. Most frameworks for adaptation of biodiversity conservation to climate change include two major strategies. The first is the resistance strategy, which focuses on actions to increase the capacity of species and communities to resist change. The second is the transformation strategy and includes actions that ease the transformation of communities to a set of species that are well adapted to the novel environmental conditions. We suggest a number of concrete actions policy makers and managers can take. Under the resistance strategy, five tools are introduced, including: identifying and protecting forest climate refugia with cold-favored species; reducing the effects of drought by protecting the hydrological network; and actively removing competitors when they threaten cold-favored species. Under the transformation strategy, we suggest three tools, including: enhancing conditions for forest species favored by the new climate, but currently disfavored by forest management, by planting them at suitable sites outside their main range; and increasing connectivity across the landscape to enhance the expansion of warm-favored species to sites that have become suitable. Finally, we suggest applying a landscape perspective and simultaneously managing for both retreating and expanding species. The two different strategies (resistance and transformation) should be seen as complementary ways to maintain a rich biodiversity in future forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Greiser
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ditte M Christiansen
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Irena A Koelemeijer
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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8
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Using the Conservation Standards Framework to Address the Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. CLIMATE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/cli10020013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Climate change has challenged biodiversity conservation practitioners and planners. In this paper, we provide scalable guidance on integrating climate change into conservation planning and adaptive management that results in the most appropriate conservation strategies. This integrated “Climate-Smart Conservation Practice” focuses on analyzing the potential impact of climate change on species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services, combined with “conventional” (non-climate) threats, and incorporating this knowledge into projects. The guidance is based on the already widely-used “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation”, an application of systems thinking and adaptive management, which has been successfully applied to thousands of conservation projects. Our framework emphasizes a methodical analysis of climate change impacts for projects to support more productive goals and strategy development. We provide two case studies showing the applicability and flexibility of this framework. An initial key element is developing “situation models” that document both current and future threats affecting biodiversity while showing the interactions between climate and conventional threats. Guidance is also provided on how to design integrated, climate-smart goals and strategies, and detailed theories of change for selected strategies. The information and suggestions presented are intended to break down the steps to make the process more approachable, provide guidance to teams using climate change information within a systematic conservation planning process, and demonstrate how climate scientists can provide appropriate information to conservation planners.
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9
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Buttke D, Wild M, Monello R, Schuurman G, Hahn M, Jackson K. Managing Wildlife Disease Under Climate Change. ECOHEALTH 2021; 18:406-410. [PMID: 34462847 PMCID: PMC8742803 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-021-01542-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Buttke
- National Park Service Biological Resources Division and Office of Public Health, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA.
| | - Margaret Wild
- Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, USA
| | - Ryan Monello
- National Park Service Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, USA
| | - Gregor Schuurman
- National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Micah Hahn
- University of Alaska Anchorage Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, Anchorage, USA
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10
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Lynch AJ, Thompson LM, Morton JM, Beever EA, Clifford M, Limpinsel D, Magill RT, Magness DR, Melvin TA, Newman RA, Porath MT, Rahel FJ, Reynolds JH, Schuurman GW, Sethi SA, Wilkening JL. RAD Adaptive Management for Transforming Ecosystems. Bioscience 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Intensifying global change is propelling many ecosystems toward irreversible transformations. Natural resource managers face the complex task of conserving these important resources under unprecedented conditions and expanding uncertainty. As once familiar ecological conditions disappear, traditional management approaches that assume the future will reflect the past are becoming increasingly untenable. In the present article, we place adaptive management within the resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework to assist informed risk taking for transforming ecosystems. This approach empowers managers to use familiar techniques associated with adaptive management in the unfamiliar territory of ecosystem transformation. By providing a common lexicon, it gives decision makers agency to revisit objectives, consider new system trajectories, and discuss RAD strategies in relation to current system state and direction of change. Operationalizing RAD adaptive management requires periodic review and update of management actions and objectives; monitoring, experimentation, and pilot studies; and bet hedging to better identify and tolerate associated risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail J Lynch
- US Geological Survey (USGS), National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, United States
| | - Laura M Thompson
- USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center and an adjunct faculty member, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
| | - John M Morton
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and is now vice president of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
| | - Erik A Beever
- USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center and a research professor for the Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States
| | | | - Douglas Limpinsel
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
| | | | - Dawn R Magness
- USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, Alaska, United States
| | - Tracy A Melvin
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Robert A Newman
- University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
| | - Mark T Porath
- USFWS Ecological Services Nebraska Field Office, Wood River, Nebraska, United States
| | - Frank J Rahel
- University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States
| | - Joel H Reynolds
- US National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Gregor W Schuurman
- NPS Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Suresh A Sethi
- USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
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11
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Schuurman GW, Cole DN, Cravens AE, Covington S, Crausbay SD, Hoffman CH, Lawrence DJ, Magness DR, Morton JM, Nelson EA, O'Malley R. Navigating Ecological Transformation: Resist–Accept–Direct as a Path to a New Resource Management Paradigm. Bioscience 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Natural resource managers worldwide face a growing challenge: Intensifying global change increasingly propels ecosystems toward irreversible ecological transformations. This nonstationarity challenges traditional conservation goals and human well-being. It also confounds a longstanding management paradigm that assumes a future that reflects the past. As once-familiar ecological conditions disappear, managers need a new approach to guide decision-making. The resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework, designed for and by managers, identifies the options managers have for responding and helps them make informed, purposeful, and strategic choices in this context. Moving beyond the diversity and complexity of myriad emerging frameworks, RAD is a simple, flexible, decision-making tool that encompasses the entire decision space for stewarding transforming ecosystems. Through shared application of a common approach, the RAD framework can help the wider natural resource management and research community build the robust, shared habits of mind necessary for a new, twenty-first-century natural resource management paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor W Schuurman
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - David N Cole
- US Forest Service, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, Montana, United States
| | - Amanda E Cravens
- US Geological Survey's Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Scott Covington
- US Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System, Falls Church, Virginia, United States
| | - Shelley D Crausbay
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
- US Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, Colorado, United States
| | - Cat Hawkins Hoffman
- Supervisory natural resource specialist and program manager, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - David J Lawrence
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Dawn R Magness
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, Alaska, United States
| | - John M Morton
- Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Nelson
- Science advisor on conservation and climate change at Parks Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robin O'Malley
- USGS North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, and is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
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12
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Naujokaitis‐Lewis I, Endicott S, Guezen J. Treatment of climate change in extinction risk assessments and recovery plans for threatened species. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Naujokaitis‐Lewis
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Sarah Endicott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Jessica Guezen
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
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13
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Merschel AG, Beedlow PA, Shaw DC, Woodruff DR, Lee EH, Cline SP, Comeleo RL, Hagmann RK, Reilly MJ. An Ecological Perspective on Living with Fire in Ponderosa Pine Forests of Oregon and Washington: Resistance, Gone but not Forgotten. TREES, FORESTS AND PEOPLE 2021; 4:10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100074. [PMID: 34017963 PMCID: PMC8128712 DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Wildland fires (WLF) have become more frequent, larger, and severe with greater impacts to society and ecosystems and dramatic increases in firefighting costs. Forests throughout the range of ponderosa pine in Oregon and Washington are jeopardized by the interaction of anomalously dense forest structure, a warming and drying climate, and an expanding human population. These forests evolved with frequent interacting disturbances including low-severity surface fires, droughts, and biological disturbance agents (BDAs). Chronic low-severity disturbances were, and still are, critical to maintaining disturbance resistance, the property of an ecosystem to withstand disturbance while maintaining its structure and ecological function. Restoration of that historical resistance offers multiple social and ecological benefits. Moving forward, we need a shared understanding of the ecology of ponderosa pine forests to appreciate how restoring resistance can reduce the impacts of disturbances. Given contemporary forest conditions, a warming climate, and growing human populations, we predict continued elevation of tree mortality from drought, BDAs, and the large high-severity WLFs that threaten lives and property as well as ecosystem functions and services. We recommend more comprehensive planning to promote greater use of prescribed fire and management of reported fires for ecological benefits, plus increased responsibility and preparedness of local agencies, communities and individual homeowners for WLF and smoke events. Ultimately, by more effectively preparing for fire in the wildland urban interface, and by increasing the resistance of ponderosa pine forests, we can greatly enhance our ability to live with fire and other disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Merschel
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, 3180 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR. 97331, USA
| | - Peter A Beedlow
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - David C Shaw
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, 216 Peavy Hall, 3100 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - David R Woodruff
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - E Henry Lee
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Steven P Cline
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Randy L Comeleo
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - R Keala Hagmann
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Applegate Forestry LLC, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Matthew J Reilly
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
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14
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Ammar Y, Niiranen S, Otto SA, Möllmann C, Finsinger W, Blenckner T. The rise of novelty in marine ecosystems: The Baltic Sea case. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1485-1499. [PMID: 33438266 PMCID: PMC7985865 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Global environmental changes have accelerated at an unprecedented rate in recent decades due to human activities. As a consequence, the incidence of novel abiotic conditions and biotic communities, which have been continuously emerging in the Earth system, has rapidly risen. Despite growing attention to the incidence and challenges posed by novelty in terrestrial ecosystems, novelty has not yet been quantified in marine ecosystems. Here, we measured for the rate of novelty (RoN) in abiotic conditions and community structure for three trophic levels, i.e., phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish, in a large marine system - the Baltic Sea. We measured RoN as the degree of dissimilarity relative to a specific spatial and temporal baseline, and contrasted this with the rate of change as a measure of within-basin change over time. We found that over the past 35 years abiotic and biotic RoN showed complex dynamics varying in time and space, depending on the baseline conditions. RoN in abiotic conditions was smaller in the open Central Baltic Sea than in the Kattegat and the more enclosed Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Riga, and Gulf of Finland in the north. We found a similar spatial pattern for biotic assemblages, which resulted from changes in composition and stock size. We identified sea-surface temperature and salinity as key drivers of RoN in biotic communities. Hence, future environmental changes that are expected to affect the biogeochemistry of the Baltic Sea, may favor the rise of biotic novelty. Our results highlighted the need for a deeper understanding of novelty development in marine ecosystems, including interactions between species and trophic levels, ecosystem functioning under novel abiotic conditions, and considering novelty in future management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosr Ammar
- Stockholm Resilience CentreStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Susa Niiranen
- Stockholm Resilience CentreStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Saskia A. Otto
- Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery ScienceCenter for Earth System Research and SustainabilityUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Christian Möllmann
- Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery ScienceCenter for Earth System Research and SustainabilityUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Walter Finsinger
- ISEM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHEMontpellierFrance
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15
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Abrams J, Greiner M, Schultz C, Evans A, Huber-Stearns H. Can Forest Managers Plan for Resilient Landscapes? Lessons from the United States National Forest Plan Revision Process. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 67:574-588. [PMID: 33646387 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The United States Forest Service, a federal agency entrusted with managing 78 M hectares of national forestlands under a broad multiple-use mandate, has seen recent shifts in policy direction emphasizing ecological restoration, consideration of climate change impacts, and a focus on managing for resilient landscapes. The process of revising the comprehensive plans guiding national forest management presents opportunities to reorient objectives, activities, and commitments toward these goals. Here we analyze case studies of three national forests that have completed the forest plan revision process since 2014: the Francis Marion National Forest in coastal South Carolina, the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona, and the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado. We analyze plan revision participants' perspectives on the opportunities and barriers to reorienting national forest management toward resilient landscapes and the broader political, social, and institutional factors that influence these dynamics. Key opportunities included better promoting resilient landscape objectives by revising fire management guidelines, incorporating scientific data and modeling from multiple agency and non-agency partners, and building opportunities for adaptive management via long-term trust networks. Major barriers included inconsistent higher-level support for resilience objectives, an emphasis on meeting narrow quantitative performance targets, and under-investments in monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Abrams
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources / Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, 180 E. Green St., Athens, GA, 30602-2152, USA.
| | - Michelle Greiner
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, 1401 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1401, USA
| | - Courtney Schultz
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, 1401 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1401, USA
| | - Alexander Evans
- The Forest Stewards Guild, 2019 Galisteo Street Suite N7, Santa Fe, NM, 87505, USA
| | - Heidi Huber-Stearns
- Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 130 Hendricks Hall, 5247 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
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16
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Peterson St-Laurent G, Oakes LE, Cross M, Hagerman S. R-R-T (resistance-resilience-transformation) typology reveals differential conservation approaches across ecosystems and time. Commun Biol 2021; 4:39. [PMID: 33446879 PMCID: PMC7809055 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01556-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Conservation practices during the first decade of the millennium predominantly focused on resisting changes and maintaining historical or current conditions, but ever-increasing impacts from climate change have highlighted the need for transformative action. However, little empirical evidence exists on what kinds of conservation actions aimed specifically at climate change adaptation are being implemented in practice, let alone how transformative these actions are. In response, we propose and trial a novel typology-the R-R-T scale, which improves on existing concepts of Resistance, Resilience, and Transformation-that enables the practical application of contested terms and the empirical assessment of whether and to what extent a shift toward transformative action is occurring. When applying the R-R-T scale to a case study of 104 adaptation projects funded since 2011, we find a trend towards transformation that varies across ecosystems. Our results reveal that perceptions about the acceptance of novel interventions in principle are beginning to be expressed in practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Peterson St-Laurent
- grid.17091.3e0000 0001 2288 9830Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2900 – 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada ,grid.426526.10000 0000 8486 2070Climate Change Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Lauren E. Oakes
- grid.426526.10000 0000 8486 2070Climate Change Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland ,grid.269823.40000 0001 2164 6888Wildlife Conservation Society, 1050 East Main Street, Suite 2, Bozeman, MT 59715 USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA 59715 USA
| | - Molly Cross
- grid.426526.10000 0000 8486 2070Climate Change Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland ,grid.269823.40000 0001 2164 6888Wildlife Conservation Society, 1050 East Main Street, Suite 2, Bozeman, MT 59715 USA
| | - Shannon Hagerman
- grid.17091.3e0000 0001 2288 9830Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2900 – 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada ,grid.426526.10000 0000 8486 2070Climate Change Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
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17
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A unifying framework for studying and managing climate-driven rates of ecological change. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:17-26. [PMID: 33288870 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01344-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
During the Anthropocene and other eras of rapidly changing climates, rates of change of ecological systems can be described as fast, slow or abrupt. Fast ecological responses closely track climate change, slow responses substantively lag climate forcing, causing disequilibria and reduced fitness, and abrupt responses are characterized by nonlinear, threshold-type responses at rates that are large relative to background variability and forcing. All three kinds of climate-driven ecological dynamics are well documented in contemporary studies, palaeoecology and invasion biology. This fast-slow-abrupt conceptual framework helps unify a bifurcated climate-change literature, which tends to separately consider the ecological risks posed by slow or abrupt ecological dynamics. Given the prospect of ongoing climate change for the next several decades to centuries of the Anthropocene and wide variations in ecological rates of change, the theory and practice of managing ecological systems should shift attention from target states to target rates. A rates-focused framework broadens the strategic menu for managers to include options to both slow and accelerate ecological rates of change, seeks to reduce mismatch among climate and ecological rates of change, and provides a unified conceptual framework for tackling the distinct risks associated with fast, slow and abrupt ecological rates of change.
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18
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Clifford KR, Yung L, Travis WR, Rondeau R, Neely B, Rangwala I, Burkardt N, Wyborn C. Navigating Climate Adaptation on Public Lands: How Views on Ecosystem Change and Scale Interact with Management Approaches. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 66:614-628. [PMID: 32728791 PMCID: PMC7522104 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Managers are increasingly being asked to integrate climate change adaptation into public land management. The literature discusses a range of adaptation approaches, including managing for resistance, resilience, and transformation; but many strategies have not yet been widely tested. This study employed in-depth interviews and scenario-based focus groups in the Upper Gunnison Basin in Colorado to learn how public land managers envision future ecosystem change, and how they plan to utilize different management approaches in the context of climate adaptation. While many managers evoked the past in thinking about projected climate impacts and potential responses, most managers in this study acknowledged and even embraced (if reluctantly) that many ecosystems will experience regime shifts in the face of climate change. However, accepting that future ecosystems will be different from past ecosystems led managers in different directions regarding how to respond and the appropriate role of management intervention. Some felt management actions should assist and even guide ecosystems toward future conditions. Others were less confident in projections and argued against transformation. Finally, some suggested that resilience could provide a middle path, allowing managers to help ecosystems adapt to change without predicting future ecosystem states. Scalar challenges and institutional constraints also influenced how managers thought about adaptation. Lack of institutional capacity was believed to constrain adaptation at larger scales. Resistance, in particular, was considered impractical at almost any scale due to institutional constraints. Managers negotiated scalar challenges and institutional constraints by nesting different approaches both spatially and temporally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Clifford
- USGS-Fort Collins Science Center, Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
- Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
- North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Laurie Yung
- Department of Society and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - William R Travis
- Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, CO, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Betsy Neely
- Colorado Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Imtiaz Rangwala
- Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Nina Burkardt
- USGS-Fort Collins Science Center, Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Carina Wyborn
- Department of Society and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Institute for Water Futures, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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19
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Burke KD, Williams JW, Brewer S, Finsinger W, Giesecke T, Lorenz DJ, Ordonez A. Differing climatic mechanisms control transient and accumulated vegetation novelty in Europe and eastern North America. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190218. [PMID: 31679485 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of climate that produce novel ecosystems is of joint interest to conservation biologists and palaeoecologists. Here, we define and differentiate transient from accumulated novelty and evaluate four climatic mechanisms proposed to cause species to reshuffle into novel assemblages: high climatic novelty, high spatial rates of change (displacement), high variance among displacement rates for individual climate variables, and divergence among displacement vector bearings. We use climate simulations to quantify climate novelty, displacement and divergence across Europe and eastern North America from the last glacial maximum to the present, and fossil pollen records to quantify vegetation novelty. Transient climate novelty is consistently the strongest predictor of transient vegetation novelty, while displacement rates (mean and variance) are equally important in Europe. However, transient vegetation novelty is lower in Europe and its relationship to climatic predictors is the opposite of expectation. For both continents, accumulated novelty is greater than transient novelty, and climate novelty is the strongest predictor of accumulated ecological novelty. These results suggest that controls on novel ecosystems vary with timescale and among continents, and that the twenty-first century emergence of novelty will be driven by both rapid rates of climate change and the emergence of novel climate states. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Burke
- Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - John W Williams
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Simon Brewer
- Department of Geography, University of Utah, 260 S. Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84119, USA
| | - Walter Finsinger
- Palaeoecology, ISEM (UMR 5554 CNRS/UM/EPHE), Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Thomas Giesecke
- Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Physical Geography, Faculty Geoscience, Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - David J Lorenz
- Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World and Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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20
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Ibáñez I, Acharya K, Juno E, Karounos C, Lee BR, McCollum C, Schaffer-Morrison S, Tourville J. Forest resilience under global environmental change: Do we have the information we need? A systematic review. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222207. [PMID: 31513607 PMCID: PMC6742408 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The capacity of forests to recover after disturbance, i.e., their resilience, determines their ability to persist and function over time. Many variables, natural and managerial, affect forest resilience. Thus, understanding their effects is critical for the development of sound forest conservation and management strategies, especially in the context of ongoing global environmental changes. We conducted a representative review, meta-analysis, of the forest literature in this topic (search terms “forest AND resilience”). We aimed to identify natural conditions that promote or jeopardize resilience, assess the efficacy of post-disturbance management practices on forest recovery, and evaluate forest resilience under current environmental changes. We surveyed more than 2,500 articles and selected the 156 studies (724 observations) that compared and quantified forest recovery after disturbance under different contexts. Context of recovery included: resource gradients (moisture and fertility), post-disturbance biomass reduction treatments, species richness gradients, incidence of a second disturbance, and disturbance severity. Metrics of recovery varied from individual tree growth and reproduction, to population abundance, to species richness and cover. Analyses show management practices only favored recovery through increased reproduction (seed production) and abundance of recruitment stages. Higher moisture conditions favored recovery, particularly in dry temperate regions; and in boreal forests, this positive effect increased with regional humidity. Biomass reduction treatments were only effective in increasing resilience after a drought. Early recruiting plant stages benefited from increased severity, while disturbance severity was associated with lower recovery of remaining adult trees. This quantitative review provides insight into the natural conditions and management practices under which forest resilience is enhanced and highlights conditions that could jeopardize future resilience. We also identified important knowledge gaps, such as the role of diversity in determining forest resilience and the lack of data in many regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés Ibáñez
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kirk Acharya
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Edith Juno
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Christopher Karounos
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Benjamin R. Lee
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Caleb McCollum
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Samuel Schaffer-Morrison
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jordon Tourville
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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21
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Exploring Tangible and Intangible Heritage and its Resilience as a Basis to Understand the Cultural Landscapes of Saxon Communities in Southern Transylvania (Romania). SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11113102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Landscape researchers tend to reduce the diversity of tangible heritage to physical aspects of cultural landscapes, from the wealth of intangible heritage they focus on land-use practices which have a direct and visible impact on the landscape. We suggest a comprehensive assessment of both tangible and intangible heritage, in order to more accurately assess the interconnection of local identity and the shaping of cultural landscapes. As an example, we looked at Saxon culture and cultural landscapes in southern Transylvania (Romania), where we assessed features of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, identified their resilience and the driving forces of their change. Our analysis, based on 74 interviews with residents in ten villages in southern Transylvania, showed a high resilience of tangible heritage and a low resilience of intangible heritage. A major factor responsible for changes in the Saxon heritage was a decline in the population at the end of the Cold War, due to migration, driven by political and economic factors. We conclude by discussing the specific merits of such an analysis for integrated landscape management.
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22
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Keane RE, Loehman RA, Holsinger LM, Falk DA, Higuera P, Hood SM, Hessburg PF. Use of landscape simulation modeling to quantify resilience for ecological applications. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robert E. Keane
- USDA Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station; Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory; 5775 Highway 10 West Missoula Montana 59808 USA
| | - Rachel A. Loehman
- US Geological Survey; Alaska Science Center; 4210 University Drive Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - Lisa M. Holsinger
- USDA Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station; Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory; 5775 Highway 10 West Missoula Montana 59808 USA
| | - Donald A. Falk
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment; Environment and Natural Resources II; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona 85721 USA
| | - Philip Higuera
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation; University of Montana; 32 Campus Drive Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Sharon M. Hood
- USDA Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station; Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory; 5775 Highway 10 West Missoula Montana 59808 USA
| | - Paul F. Hessburg
- USDA Forest Service; Pacific Northwest Research Station; Forestry Sciences Laboratory; 1133 N. Western Avenue Wenatchee Washington 98801 USA
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23
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Wu JX, Wilsey CB, Taylor L, Schuurman GW. Projected avifaunal responses to climate change across the U.S. National Park System. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190557. [PMID: 29561837 PMCID: PMC5862404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds in U.S. national parks find strong protection from many longstanding and pervasive threats, but remain highly exposed to effects of ongoing climate change. To understand how climate change is likely to alter bird communities in parks, we used species distribution models relating North American Breeding Bird Survey (summer) and Audubon Christmas Bird Count (winter) observations to climate data from the early 2000s and projected to 2041–2070 (hereafter, mid-century) under high and low greenhouse gas concentration trajectories, RCP8.5 and RCP2.6. We analyzed climate suitability projections over time for 513 species across 274 national parks, classifying them as improving, worsening, stable, potential colonization, and potential extirpation. U.S. national parks are projected to become increasingly important for birds in the coming decades as potential colonizations exceed extirpations in 62–100% of parks, with an average ratio of potential colonizations to extirpations of 4.1 in winter and 1.4 in summer under RCP8.5. Average species turnover is 23% in both summer and winter under RCP8.5. Species turnover (Bray-Curtis) and potential colonization and extirpation rates are positively correlated with latitude in the contiguous 48 states. Parks in the Midwest and Northeast are expected to see particularly high rates of change. All patterns are more extreme under RCP8.5 than under RCP2.6. Based on the ratio of potential colonization and extirpation, parks were classified into overall trend groups associated with specific climate-informed conservation strategies. Substantial change to bird and ecological communities is anticipated in coming decades, and current thinking suggests managing towards a forward-looking concept of ecological integrity that accepts change and novel ecological conditions, rather than focusing management goals exclusively on maintaining or restoring a static set of historical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna X. Wu
- Science Division, National Audubon Society, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Chad B. Wilsey
- Science Division, National Audubon Society, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Lotem Taylor
- Science Division, National Audubon Society, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Gregor W. Schuurman
- Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, US National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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24
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Translating MC2 DGVM Results into Ecosystem Services for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. CLIMATE 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/cli6010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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25
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Crausbay SD, Higuera PE, Sprugel DG, Brubaker LB. Fire catalyzed rapid ecological change in lowland coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest over the past 14,000 years. Ecology 2017; 98:2356-2369. [PMID: 28500791 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Disturbance can catalyze rapid ecological change by causing widespread mortality and initiating successional pathways, and during times of climate change, disturbance may contribute to ecosystem state changes by initiating a new successional pathway. In the Pacific Northwest of North America (PNW), disturbance by wildfires strongly shapes the composition and structure of lowland forests, but understanding the role of fire over periods of climate change is challenging, because fire-return intervals are long (e.g., millennia) and the coniferous trees dominating these forests can live for many centuries. We developed stand-scale paleorecords of vegetation and fire that span nearly the past 14,000 yr to study how fire was associated with state changes and rapid dynamics in forest vegetation at the stand scale (1-3 ha). We studied forest history with sediment cores from small hollow sites in the Marckworth State Forest, located ~1 km apart in the Tsuga heterophylla Zone in the Puget Lowland ecoregion of western Washington, USA. The median rate of change in pollen/spore assemblages was similar between sites (0.12 and 0.14% per year), but at both sites, rates of change increased significantly following fire events (ranging up to 1% per year, with a median of 0.28 and 0.38%, P < 0.003). During times of low climate velocity, forest composition was resilient to fires, which initiated successional pathways leading back to the dominant vegetation type. In contrast, during times of high climate variability and velocity (e.g., the early Holocene) forests were not resilient to fires, which triggered large-scale state changes. These records provide clear evidence that disturbance, in the form of an individual fire event, can be an important catalyst for rapid state changes, accelerating vegetation shifts in response to large-scale climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip E Higuera
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, 59812, USA
| | - Douglas G Sprugel
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Linda B Brubaker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
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26
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila M. Harris
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, and Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Eric K. Chu
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Gina Ziervogel
- Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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27
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28
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Middleton BA, Boudell J, Fisichelli NA. Using management to address vegetation stress related to land-use and climate change. Restor Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Beth A. Middleton
- Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center; U.S. Geological Survey; Lafayette LA 70506 U.S.A
| | - Jere Boudell
- Department of Biology; Clayton State University; Morrow GA 30260 U.S.A
| | - Nicholas A. Fisichelli
- Forest Ecology Program; Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park; Winter Harbor ME 04693 U.S.A
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29
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Paulson AK, Sanders S, Kirschbaum J, Waller DM. Post‐settlement ecological changes in the forests of the Great Lakes National Parks. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alison K. Paulson
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Suzanne Sanders
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin 54806 USA
| | - Jessica Kirschbaum
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin 54806 USA
| | - Donald M. Waller
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
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30
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Hellmann JJ, Grundel R, Hoving C, Schuurman GW. A call to insect scientists: challenges and opportunities of managing insect communities under climate change. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 17:92-97. [PMID: 27720080 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
As climate change moves insect systems into uncharted territory, more knowledge about insect dynamics and the factors that drive them could enable us to better manage and conserve insect communities. Climate change may also require us to revisit insect management goals and strategies and lead to a new kind of scientific engagement in management decision-making. Here we make five key points about the role of insect science in aiding and crafting management decisions, and we illustrate those points with the monarch butterfly and the Karner blue butterfly, two species undergoing considerable change and facing new management dilemmas. Insect biology has a strong history of engagement in applied problems, and as the impacts of climate change increase, a reimagined ethic of entomology in service of broader society may emerge. We hope to motivate insect biologists to contribute time and effort toward solving the challenges of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica J Hellmann
- Institute on the Environment and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States.
| | - Ralph Grundel
- Great Lakes Science Center, US Geological Survey, Chesterton, IN 46304, United States
| | - Chris Hoving
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lansing, MI 48909, United States; Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Gregor W Schuurman
- Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, US National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO 80525, United States
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