Climate warming today and tomorrow: fire ecology, phenology, drought stress, and species range changes
Essential elements from today’s lecture:
We understand that climate has changed over the history of Earth. Yet the temperature-related changes in our climate appear to exceed the rates of change from previous climate changes. In particular, today’s climate warming appears to be occurring faster than we have seen in the glacial-interglacial cycles of the last million years. In fact, 2015 will likely go down as the hottest yearon record! But as hot as it will be across Earth in 2015, future years will likely be as warmer or warmer. So, what will happen as we look across ecological landscapes?
In this lecture, we discuss primary consequences of climate warming to plants and their communities in terms of fire ecology, phenology, drought stress, and changes in the ranges of different plant species. Because of the breadth of these impacts and the limits in available lecture time, our primary focus will be on climate warming and drought as they relate to the ecosystems of the western United States.
Essential elements from today’s lecture:
We understand that climate has changed over the history of Earth. Yet the temperature-related changes in our climate appear to exceed the rates of change from previous climate changes. In particular, today’s climate warming appears to be occurring faster than we have seen in the glacial-interglacial cycles of the last million years. In fact, 2015 will likely go down as the hottest yearon record! But as hot as it will be across Earth in 2015, future years will likely be as warmer or warmer. So, what will happen as we look across ecological landscapes?
In this lecture, we discuss primary consequences of climate warming to plants and their communities in terms of fire ecology, phenology, drought stress, and changes in the ranges of different plant species. Because of the breadth of these impacts and the limits in available lecture time, our primary focus will be on climate warming and drought as they relate to the ecosystems of the western United States.