OOS 33
Implications of Climate Change for Ecosystem Processes in the Southwest U.S.

Friday, August 9, 2013: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
101C, Minneapolis Convention Center
Organizer:
Dawn M. Browning, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Co-organizer:
Carolyn A.F. Enquist, US Geological Survey
Moderator:
Carolyn A.F. Enquist, US Geological Survey
Arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern USA are especially sensitive to changes in temperature as well as drought frequency and intensity. The region is experiencing predicted changes in climate (i.e., increased variability of rainfall and more frequent extreme events). This reality coupled with expanding growth and the increasing demand for water has positioned the southwestern U.S. as a ‘canary in the coal mine.’ The objectives for the oral session are to (1) engage ecologists across disciplines to highlight the implications of climate change for ecosystem function in southwestern ecosystems, (2) contribute to a conversation that involves researchers and practitioners formulating adaptation and conservation strategies, and (3) promote the transfer of integrative and relevant information to the public. The session will open with a perspective on the role of humans in defining the footprint of urban environments while providing an overview of the regional report of the National Climate Assessment. The second through fourth talks provide three examples of altered ecological processes tied to ecosystem function: sustainability of freshwater ecosystems, biotic feedbacks linked to altered disturbance regimes, and asynchronous shifts in phenology of plants and their pollinators. Two presentations follow that feature on-the-ground examples of how communities are adapting management strategies to mitigate changes due to climate. Conservation applications are followed by a presentation on the state of science tools and information to serve the growing and pressing need of private individuals and land managers. The session will close with an emphasis on the role of scientists in the exchange of information to facilitate use of the best-available data for decision making.
8:20 AM
 Resistance and resilience of riverine systems in the southwestern U.S. to climate change
Kevin E. McCluney, Bowling Green State University; John L. Sabo, Arizona State University
9:00 AM
 The consequences of delayed flowering phenology in a sky-island plant, pointleaf manzanita
Nicole E. Rafferty, University of Arizona; Judith L. Bronstein, University of Arizona
9:20 AM
 Building partnerships to deliver applied science to natural resource managers: Case studies from southwestern Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
Dana Roth, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Bill Bartush, Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative; Aimee Roberson, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative
9:40 AM
10:30 AM Cancelled
 Impact of extreme soil moisture changes and decreased daily temperature fluctuations on microbial community structure
Nirmala Dhungana, Texas Tech University; Jennifer Moore-Kucera, Texas Tech University; Natasja C. Van Gestel, Texas Tech University; V. Acosta-Martinez, USDA-ARS; John C. Zak, Texas Tech University
10:50 AM
 Water-limited ecohydrology and carbon sink-source dynamics of desert grasslands and shrublands during dry years, Chihuahuan Desert, USA
Matthew D. Petrie, University of New Mexico; Scott L. Collins, University of New Mexico; Marcy E. Litvak, University of New Mexico
11:10 AM
 Semi-arid grassland plant community responses to 7 years of experimental warming, elevated CO2, and irrigation
Tamara J. Zelikova, University of Wyoming; Elise Pendall, University of Wyoming; David G. Williams, University of Wyoming; Daniel R. LeCain, USDA-ARS; Dana Blumenthal, Rangeland Resources Research Unit; Jack A. Morgan, USDA-ARS