Life Sciences Commons^™

Projected Near-Future Flooding And Warming Increase Graminoid Biomass In A High-Latitude Coastal Wetland, Matteo Petit Bon, A. Joshua Leffler, Katharine C. Kelsey, Tyler J. Williams, Karen H. Beard

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. With rapid climate warming, some coastal high-latitude ecosystems are experiencing more frequent tidal floods. Yet little is known about tundra plant-community responses to flooding, and whether Arctic warming may modulate such responses.

2. In a 2-year, full-factorial field experiment in coastal tundra wetlands of the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta (western Alaska), we simulated periodic tidal flood events at two severities under both ambient and warmed summer conditions and measured above-ground plant-community responses. Low-severity flooding represented overbank flooding 1 day per month, which is consistent with projections in the next 5 years. High-severity flooding represented a more impactful flooding regime (three consecutive days …

Implications For Grasslands Of The Response To Climate Change By The World Food System, Martin Parry, Cynthia Rosenzweig

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A recent and preliminary assessment of the sensitivity of the world food trade to climate change has indicated the following: Assuming {unrealistically} no adjustments in inputs, global food grains production in 2060 is estimated to be reduced by l-7% from the level that would be expected under a future without climate change. Food prices, including feedstock prices, are estimated lo be increased as a consequence, The implications of lhese changes for grassland production systems are considered. Two broad types of adjustmenls in inputs can be envisaged: firstly, on-farm responses of crop type and management and, secondly, national and international policy …

Tree Diversity Across The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area In Relation To Climate And Social Vulnerability, Adrienne B. Keller, Leslie A. Brandt, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Joseph F. Knight, Sarah E. Hobbie

Michigan Tech Publications

Urban tree canopy cover is often unequally distributed across cities such that more socially vulnerable neighborhoods often have lower tree canopy cover than less socially vulnerable neighborhoods. However, how the diversity and composition of the urban canopy affect the nature of social-ecological benefits (and burdens), including the urban forest's vulnerability to climate change, remains underexamined. Here, we synthesize tree inventories developed by multiple organizations and present a species-specific, geolocated database of more than 600,000 urban trees across the 7-county Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest of the United States. We find that tree diversity across the MSP …

Climate Change: Adapting Tropical And Subtropical Grasslands, G M. Mckeon, S M. Howden, N.O J. Abel, J M. King

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change as a result of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations or lhe repetition of historical climale variability will affect the management and production of tropical and subtropical grasslands that support about half the world's domestic herbivores. Previous studies of the regional impact of climate change and climate variability on intensive agriculture have shown lhat such evaluation should include the known and expected abilities of managers and governments to respond by reducing the negative impacts and taking advantage of positive opportunities, A high priority for grassland scientists is the development of similar evaluation capabilities for grassland systems, which are more complex …

Evaluating The Effects Of Climate Changes On Grasslands, Robert G. Woodmansee, William E. Riebsame

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Determining the effects of climate change on cold region grasslands requires the integration of knowledge from the biological, physical and social sciences. That integration is dependent on new methods, technologies and facilitation techniques ! that allow evaluation and management of complexity rather than focusing on simplification. Specifically, grassland response can be defined as the interaction of 10 basic sectors: (I) wenther and climate (Including chemical factors}, (2) winter, (3) soil properties, (4) assemblages of organisms, (5) energy, (6) economic viability, (7) individual human behavior, (8) cultural and community viability, (9) organisational penalty, and (10) political, legal, policy, and regulatory Influences. …

Prediction Of Grassland Plant Responses To Global Change, B D. Campbell, J P. Grime

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global change is challenging the predictive power of biology. Increasingly, biologists are being asked to draw together existing knowledge and new experimental data, in order to provide predictions of the effects of global change at regional, national and global scales. In this paper we examine how well global change effects on grassland plants can be predicted, and what avenues might be used in future to improve predictive capabilities. Broad predictions of the direction of change in grassland vegetation can be made quite simply and from a limited set of data. Predictions of the rate and magnitude of change are more …

Variation In The Response Of Pasture Plants To Carbon Dioxide, B D. Campbell, W A. Laing, P.C D. Newton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The percentage increases in growth resulting from a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration were measured for 37 common pasture plants under strictly controlled conditions of temperature, nutrient supply and irradiance. A wide range of variation in potential response lo CO2 was detected in the day/night temperature range 12n°c to 28/ 23°C. C4 species responded litlle to elevated CO2 The mean ± standard deviation of the distribution of c3 species responses ranged from l±21% at 1m•c to 90±40% at 28/23°C. These responses varied with the stage of plant development. The response by Lolium perenne cv. Grasslands Nui was of intermediate size …

Will Subtropical Grasses Keep Spreading Through New Zealand?, B D. Campbell, R.J M. Hay

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

n this paper we briefly examine the effects that rising temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have on the spread of subtropical grasses in New Zealand. Data are presented from controlled-environment experiments measuring the growth and competitive suppression of white clover by a variety of local temperate and subtropical grasses at CO2 concentrations of 3S0 ppm and 700 ppm. These data support the prediction that some subtropical grasses may decline in aggressiveness relative to temperate species in New Zealand in the future as atmospheric CO2 levels rise. Some of the factors likely to modify the expression of temperature and CO2 …

Effect Of Carbon Dioxide Concentration On The Competitive Ability Of Clover: Measurements Of Growth And Rubisco, W A. Laing, D H. Greer, B D. Campbell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens cv. Grasslands Huia) was grown in competition with one of 10 established grass species or else grown alone. Plants were grown at either 350 or 700 ppm CO2, at 28/23°C and 700 µmol/m1/sec photon flux density. Plant growth and extractable ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (rubisCO) were measured. Grass growth responded less to CO2 than clover. In the absence of grass competition, clover growth Increased 30% under 700 ppm CO2 compared with 350 ppm, but the response varied from 0% to 100% • when grass competition was present. Increased CO2 reduced extractable rubisCO activity (expressed on a …

Response Of Natural Turves Of Pasture To Elevated Carbon Dioxide In A Controlled Environment, P.C D. Newton, H Clark, C C. Bell, E M. Glasgow

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Large natural turves from a ryegrass-white clover (Lolium pernne, trifolium repens) pasture were exposed to increasing day/nighl temperatures at 350 and 700 µVI CO2 over a 7•month period. Growth rate al the highest temperature (22/16°C day/night) was IS% higher at the elevated CO2 level; at lower temperatures the response to CO2 was reduced or even negative (-6% at 10/4°C). The growth rate of ryegrass was much lower at elevated CO2 while that of white clover and other grasses was increased. These results are compared with previous studies using synthetic communities, and the limited response to CO2 is noted …

Effect Of Elevated Carbon Dioxide On The Performance Of Nine Coexisting Grassland Species, J Watson, J D. Graves

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Microcosms were constructed to represent a neutral grassland community under traditional agricultural management. During a season of fumigation at ambient and 600 µmot/mot CO2, plant performance was recorded. An increase of biomass for the whole community resulted at elevated CO2, but the response of individual species differed, There are indications that competitive interactions may change within a community due to the effects of CO2 enrichment; this may eventually result in a change in species composition.

Comparison Of Photosynthetic Responses To Carbon Dioxide In Pasture Species, D H. Greer, W A. Laing, B D. Campbell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Thirteen major pasture species were grown in controlled environments at 3 temperatures (12n, 18/13 and 28/23°C) and at 350 nnd 700 ppm CO2 for 4-8 weeks and net photosynthesis measured under these conditions. In C1 cultivars, short-term (within minutes) exposure to elevated CO2 had the greatest effect on photosynthesis, with an average of 55% higher rates than that at ambient CO2. There was also a response to long-term growth at high CO2, with a,1 average of 40% higher rates of photosynthesis than at ambient CO2 (both measured al their growth CO2) and a marked alteration in the temperature dependence Qf …

Modeling The Effects Of Climate Variability And Climate Change On A Pastoral Farming System, R J. Martin, D B. Baird, M J. Salinger, P R. Van Gardingen, D G. Mccall

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A simulation model was used to investigate the pasture and animal production and gross margins of a typical all sheep permanent pasture farm in South Canterbury, New Zealand, using 60 years of current climate data, and also a climate change scenario. The model was run on a fixed management system at different stocking rates with and without destocking during feed shortages. Mean annual pasture production was 8060 kg/ha, with a coefficient of variation of 22%. Destocking enabled more stock to be carried on average, with higher, but rh.ore variable, returns. A climate change scenario of a 75% increase in CO2' …

Changes To Sheep Grazing Systems In Response To Climate Change, B M. Butler, S T. Morris, R S. Morris

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Simulation models were used to predict changes in pasture growth and sheep farming systems as a result of changes in climate due to global warming. The results of long•lerm mean climate and 10 years' individual climate simulations show Iha! increases in stocking rate of up to 40% may be possible with climate change. Benefits of climate change included increased lamb carcass weight and pasture cover. Climate change also resulted in the feasibility of autumn lambing systems in an environment in which these systems are currently difficult lo maintain. A change from 100% spring lambing to 40% of the flock lambing …

Climate Change And Variability: Impacts On New Zealand Pastures, M J. Salinger, A S. Porteous

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change and variability influence the productivity and distribution of New Zealand pasture species. Temperature and rainfall scenarios are used to explore the sensitivity of New Zealand pastures to potential climate warming next century. Temperature affects the length of the growing season with present pasture species extending 200 m higher in altitude for every 1 •c temperature increase. The greater area of New Zealand that becomes frost free allows the spread of subtropical pasture grasses southwards. However, where low rainfall limits pasture production, changes to the rainfall amount have a significant effect. A rainfall change of I 0% changes the …

A Climate Change Perspective On Grasslands, A Barrie Pottock

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands are the result of interactions between climate, soil, interspecies competition and natural or humnn distucbance. They are vital to human sustenance but vulnerable to human mismanagement and climatic stress.• Thece is now a strong scientific consensus that climate will change during the next century at a rate unprecedented since the end of the last glaciation. Expected climatic changes include not only increasing temperatures, but also changes in total rainfall and its seasonality, and systematic increases in rainfall intensity. Along with the direct effects of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations on plants, and changes in fire frequency, these environmental influences will …

High Mountain Ecosystems And Snow Cover In A Changing Climate: For Better Or For Worse, Philippe Choler

FRONTIERS UNBOUND: Exploring Extreme Environments

No abstract provided.

Growing Season Frost Defoliates Aspen And Reduces Growth By 40%, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah.

Network Resilience Of Plant-Bee Interactions In The Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, Fairo F. Dzekashu, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Kazuhiro Takemoto, Marcell K. Peters, H. Michael G. Lattorff, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Christian W.W. Pirk

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Interaction network resilience can be defined as the ability of interacting organisms to maintain their functions, processes or populations after experiencing a disturbance. Studies on mutualistic interactions between plants and pollinators along environmental gradients are essential to understand the provision of ecosystem services and the mechanisms challenging their network resilience. However, it remains unknown to what level ecological changes along climatic gradients constrain the network resilience of mutualistic organisms, especially along elevation gradients. We surveyed bee species and recorded their interactions with plants throughout the four major seasons (i.e. long and short rainy, and long and short dry) on 50 …

Simulation Models As Decision Aids For Management Of Rangeland Ecosystems, J Ross Wight, Clayton L. Hanson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangeland simulation models have been used primarily as research tools to synthesise and organise information and to conceptualise and describe the interacting components of the ecosystem. Their application as decision aids for range management has not been developed. This paper discusses ways simulation models, such as SPUR· (Simulation of Production and Utilisation of Rangelands), can be used to forecast herbage p1oduction and the occurrence of biological windows, enhance monitoring, and predict the impacts of management and climate change on the soil, water, and plant resources including species composition.

Histories Of Stress: A Life Course Approach To Population Health In Late Medieval And Early Modern Berlin, Emily Brennan

Theses and Dissertations

Given our current climate crisis and urban population increases, researchers are increasingly interested in the health outcomes at the intersection of climate change and urbanization. Since climate change and urbanization affects human health in a variety of ways, more work is needed in diverse cultural contexts to understand temporal and geographic variations of such phenomena more fully. Using skeletal individuals from 13^th – 18^th century Berlin (n = 387), this project analyses demographic and health trends from the founding of the city in the late medieval period (c. 1200 – 1500) to the early modern period, when the …

Simulating The Long-Term Response Of Forest Succession To Climate Change In The Boreal Forest Of Northern Ontario, Canada, Guy R. Larocque, F. Wayne Bell, Eric B. Searle, Stephen J. Mayor, Thomas Schiks, Parvin Kalantari

Aspen Bibliography

The effect of climate change on forest dynamics is likely to increase in importance in the forthcoming decades. For this reason, it is essential to predict the extent to which changes in temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO₂ might affect the development of forest ecosystems and successional pathways. The gap model ZELIG-CFS was used to simulate the potential long-term effects of climate change on species-specific annual change in mean basal area and stand density under two scenarios of representative concentration pathways (RCP), 4.5 and 8.5, for the boreal forest region of Ontario, Canada, where mean temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO …

Vulnerability And Risk Analysis Of Climate Change Impacts On Rice Production (Oryza Sativa L.) In Majalengka Regency, Ruminta, Linda Puspa Solihah, Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono

Jurnal Kultivasi

Climate change, especially temperature and rainfall shifting can be a threat to the agricultural sector, i.e., the decrease in rice yields in Majalengka Regency as the West Java rice production center. As an anticipatory measure to deal with that problem, a study is needed regarding the level of hazard, vulnerability and risk of climate change impacts in Majalengka Regency. This research aims to identify climate change and examine the level of hazzard, vulnerability and risk of the impact of climate change on rice production in each sub-district in Majalengka Regency. The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative. The …

A Regional Analysis Of Climate Change Effects On Global Snow Crab Fishery, Jingjing Tao, Kwamena Quagrainie, Kenneth A. Foster, Nicole Olynk Widmar

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The snow crab fishery faces increasing vulnerability to environmental factors, yet the literature on the relationship between climate change and snow crab harvest remains limited. This study estimates snow crab harvest functions using climate change indicators with unbalanced panel data of snow crab production from the eastern Bering Sea (Alaska), the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada), the Sea of Japan, and the Barents Sea (Norway-Russia). The relationship between snow crab biomass, stock, and catch is analyzed and the endogeneity of stock in the harvest function is also addressed using climate change indicators as instrumental variables (IVs). The results show …

Modelling Climate Effects On Site Productivity And Developing Site Index Conversion Equations For Jack Pine And Trembling Aspen Mixed Stands, Mahadev Sharma

Aspen Bibliography

Forest site productivity estimates are crucial for making informed forest resource management decisions.These estimates are valuable both for the tree species currently growing in the stands and for those being considered for future stands. Current models are generally designed for pure stands and do not account for the influence of climate on tree growth. Consequently, site index (SI) conversion equations were developed specifically for jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) trees grown in naturally originated mixed stands. This work involved sampling 186 trees (93 of each species) from 31 even-aged mixed stands (3 …

Linking Physiology, Epidemiology, And Demography: Understanding How Lianas Outcompete Trees In A Changing World, Hannes De Deurwaerder, Matteo Detto, Marco Visser, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Stephen W. Pacala

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Extending and safeguarding tropical forest ecosystems is critical for combating climate change and biodiversity loss. One of its constituents, lianas, is spreading and increasing in abundance on a global scale. This is particularly concerning as lianas negatively impact forests’ carbon fluxes, dynamics, and overall resilience, potentially exacerbating both crises. While possibly linked to climate-change-induced atmospheric CO₂ elevation and drought intensification, the reasons behind their increasing abundance remain elusive. Prior research shows distinct physiological differences between lianas and trees, but it is unclear whether these differences confer a demographic advantage to lianas with climate change. Guided by extensive datasets collected …

Investigating The Response Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) To Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions, Abiola Obafemi

Master's Theses

The Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) requires dissolved oxygen (DO) of about 4 mg/L to support proper physiological function. Hypoxia and/or microxia occur when DO decreases to ≤ 2 mg/L. Salinity and temperature changes resulting from large-scale freshwater influx have been identified as key factors influencing the oyster populations in the Mississippi Sound. It is important to investigate the impacts of DO conditions on oyster mortality, biomass, size, and condition during these freshening events. Under controlled laboratory experiments, this thesis investigated 1) the response of oysters to microxic, hypoxic, and normoxic conditions 2) the response of oysters to combined hypoxia and …

Projected Range Shift Of The Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula Solidissima, And The Ocean Quahog, Arctica Islandica, Under Climate-Induced Benthic Warming: Forecasting Fishery Influence In The Mid-Atlantic Bight Throughout The 21st Century, Molly Mae Spencer

Master's Theses

The Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, and ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, are biomass dominant bivalve species on the eastern North American continental shelf, both supporting lucrative commercial fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic with a combined value of $53.6 million in ex-vessel revenue per year. Rapid climate change is expected to modify the geographic range of these bivalve populations across the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), suggesting transformative consequences for the surfclam fishery. This study forecasted future distributions of the two species from years 2016 – 2095, based on projected bottom water temperatures and a temperature-dependent population dynamics model, to project subsequent fishery-based indicators …

Microbiome Assembly And Function In The Solitary Mason Bee, Osmia Lignaria (Megachilidae), Bailey Crowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Animal-microbe interactions can influence host biology, ecology, and evolution. The assembly and function of microbes found within animal hosts oftentimes depends on which species are involved. Advances in sequencing technologies have permitted the exploration of host-microbe interactions in a variety of animals, including bees. Early research aimed at understanding the microbiomes of social bees, such as honey bees and bumble bees, found that microbes prevent the spoilage of stored pollen, breakdown indigestible nutrients into smaller molecules available for uptake by the host, and also protect the host from pathogens. When environmental stressors, such as increased temperatures, disrupt the microbiome, the …

The Effects Of Cover Crop Adoption On Yield Distributions Under Extreme Drought, Emory Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change negatively impact agriculture output. Of particular concern is the adverse impact of droughts on corn and soybean yields, as these crops represent a significant portion of cash crop receipts in the United States. Cover crops are one practice that has gained attention due to their agronomic benefits and their potential to reduce downside production risk for producers. This study focuses on the impact of cover crop adoption on corn and soybean yields during drought conditions. We use cover crop adoption data from the Operational Tillage Information System, RMA …