SYMP 22 - Alternative Approaches to the Study of Global Warming Effects on Natural Communities

Friday, August 6, 2010: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Blrm A, David L Lawrence Convention Center
Organizer:
Ines Ibanez, University of Michigan
Co-organizer:
Elise S. Gornish, University of California, Davis
Moderator:
Elise S. Gornish, University of California, Davis
Given current climatic trends, an imperative among ecologists is to study the impact of global warming on populations, communities and ecosystems around the world. To persist, plant and animal species will have to adapt to the new conditions or track the suitable climate into new regions. Thus, reliable forecasting of future species distributions and/or their adaptation potential will be crucial in order to assess the effects of global warming on those communities, and consequentially to implement appropriate conservation, restoration and management plans. This symposium will offer an overview of the approaches followed by global change research scientists in their studies of the impact of global warming on a diversity of ecosystems. We highlight approaches that rely on existing spatially and temporally varying environmental gradients, rather that those requiring technologically and financially challenging methodology. Researchers participating in this symposium will illustrate several creative ways to take advantage of information already inherent in the system of study that can be used to predict future outcomes of species’ distributions and adaptation potential to global warming. Examples of studies that will be presented include: -the use of existing long-term phenological data sets; -translocation experiments; -mechanistic range models for ecological forecasting; -landscape level habitat studies; -demographic analyses along elevational gradients; -spatial and temporal models of forest dynamics under drought in the tropics; -the use of genomics to assess the physiological constraints on geographic range; -the application of physiology and eco-mechanics in aquatic ecosystems; -the integration of high-resolution climate and fire data to assess fire regime trends. By taking advantage of species genetic variability, species differential physiology or of natural gradients in relation to the key climatic and edaphic drivers of the species distributions, these approaches provide a robust framework for studying the potential response of many species’ to global warming. These are also methods that can be applied to other locations and systems, benefiting the scientific community in their study of the impact of global warming on ecosystems.
8:05 AM
 Species responses to disturbance in a tropical forest: Multiple mechanisms for successional diversity
Maria Uriarte, Columbia University; James S. Clark, Duke University; Liza S. Comita, The Ohio State University; Jess K. Zimmerman, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras; Jill Thompson, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Edinburgh)
8:25 AM
 Not just where, but when: The role of phenology in forecasting ecological responses to climate change
Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, The Wildlife Society and USA National Phenology Network
9:05 AM
 Beyond their ranges, outside their niches: Assessing the adaptation and migratory potential of temperate forests
Ines Ibanez, University of Michigan; Sarah McCarthy-Neumann, Michigan State University
9:25 AM
 Life on the edge: The determinants of altitudinal range limits
Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, University of Washington; Ailene Kane Ettinger, University of Washington; Kevin R. Ford, University of Washington
9:45 AM
9:55 AM
 Predicting patterns of stress and mortality in intertidal invertebrates: Applications of biophysical ecology in a changing world
Brian Helmuth, University of South Carolina; Michael Kearney, University of Melbourne; Gianluca Sará, University of Palermo
10:35 AM
 Montane meadow change during drought varies with background hydrologic regime and plant functional group
Diane M. Debinski, Iowa State University; Hadley Wickham, Rice University; Kelly Kindscher, University of Kansas; Jennet Caruthers, Iowa State University; Matthew J. Germino, US Geological Survey
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