OOS 39 - Extreme Climate Events Across Diverse Ecosystems

Friday, August 12, 2016: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Grand Floridian Blrm F, Ft Lauderdale Convention Center
Organizer:
Laura M. Ladwig, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Co-organizers:
Ross E. Boucek, Florida International University; Amber C. Churchill, University of Colorado Boulder; and Zak Ratajczak, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Moderator:
Amber C. Churchill, University of Colorado Boulder
The frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events are predicted to change, affecting ecological dynamics worldwide. The goal of this Organized Oral Session is to share diverse examples of the ecological roles of extreme climate events in a variety of systems and introduce a new conceptual framework to increase our ability to generalize and predict ecological responses to extreme climate events (Boucek et al. in prep). Case studies presented during this session will represent a large diversity in the type of extreme climate event (e.g., floods, droughts, ice storms, hurricanes, heatwaves, freeze events, blizzards), ecosystem in which the events occurred (e.g., rainforest, desert, coastal, hardwood forest), nested within a range of biomes (e.g., temperate, arctic, sub-tropical, tropical) and ecological response. Examining the diversity of extreme events will help identify commonalities among studies to broaden our view of the ecological impacts of extreme events and help locate current research gaps to guide future theoretical, observational, experimental research on extreme climate events. This session will be of interest to many ecologists, as extreme events can influence any biotic cycle, organism, or interaction. There are many reasons why extreme events should be a critical part of climate change research. Extreme climate events often influence ecosystems differently than gradual change. Most ecological observations and models, however, only capture ecological dynamics close to mean conditions, because the chance to observe or induce extreme events has been rare until recently. Research on the ecological effects of climate extremes lags well behind that of gradual change in climate conditions. Extreme event are also diverse (e.g., floods, droughts, hurricanes, heatwaves, freeze events, blizzards) and creating a useful general framework for understanding extreme events requires collaboration between researchers in a variety of ecosystems. Extreme climate events can also influence ecosystems in a variety of ways. The climate event itself may not only be damaging, but might also interact with landscape elements to further exacerbate the damage, causing massive fires, landslides or rockslides. Detrimental impacts on one part of the community can cascade throughout the food web, leading to additional ecological consequences such as habitat loss, pathogen expansions, or pollinator declines. A broader understanding of extreme events is currently needed to help understand their role in shaping future ecosystems.
8:00 AM
 Asymmetries in ecological responses to positive vs. negative precipitation extremes
Andrew Felton, Colorado State University; Melinda D. Smith, Colorado State University
8:20 AM
 A review of sub-tropical community resistance and resilience to extreme cold spells
Ross E. Boucek, Florida International University; Jennifer S. Rehage, Florida International University; Evelyn E. Gaiser, Florida International University; Hong Liu, International Center for Tropical Botany and Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
8:40 AM
 Evaluating the impacts of ice storms on forest ecosystems with a novel field experiment
John L. Campbell, USDA Forest Service; Lindsey E. Rustad, USDA Forest Service; Paul G. Schaberg, USDA Forest Service; Charles T. Driscoll, Syracuse University; Timothy J. Fahey, Cornell University; Sarah R. Garlick, Hubbard Brook Research Foundation; Peter M. Groffman, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center; Gary H. Hawley, University of Vermont
9:00 AM
 A series of disturbances in Florida tests the resilience of coastal fisheries
Philip W. Stevens, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; David A. Blewett, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Ross E. Boucek, Florida International University; Kerry E. Flaherty-Walia, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Richard Paperno, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Jennifer S. Rehage, Florida International University; James A. Whittington, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Joy M. Young, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
9:20 AM
 Impacts of extreme cold spells on abundance of butterflies and specialist bees in subtropical regions
Hong Liu, International Center for Tropical Botany and Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; Jason L. Downing, International Center for Tropical Botany and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; Xu Wang, Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Haydee Borrero, Florida International University
9:40 AM
9:50 AM
 Increasing fire severity: Impacts on forest succession and permafrost soils in Siberian larch forests
Heather Alexander, Mississippi State University; Michael M. Loranty, Colgate University; Susan M. Natali, Woods Hole Research Center; Michelle C. Mack, Northern Arizona University; Sergey Davydov, Northeast Science Station; Nikita Zimov, Northeast Science Station
10:10 AM
 A 100-year storm drives phase shift in predator-prey dynamics between dominant Chesapeake Bay bivalve and crab species
Cassandra N. Glaspie, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Rochelle D. Seitz, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Romuald N. Lipcius, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
10:50 AM
 Impacts of temperature and moisture extremes on dryland vegetation
Scott Ferrenberg, U.S. Geological Survey; Sasha C. Reed, U.S. Geological Survey; Jayne Belnap, U.S. Geological Survey
11:10 AM
 Spatial connectivity and heterogeneity: effects on resistance and resilience to extreme driver pulses
Zak Ratajczak, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Paolo D'Odorico, University of Virginia