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Emerging Consensus Shows Climate Change Already Having Major Effects on Ecosystems and Species

By Guest PostDecember 22, 2012Environment, Natureamanda staudt, animal species, arizona state university, atlantic, bark beetles, biodiversity, bird population, bruce stein, carbon, climate change, coastal habitat, diversity of species, ecological systems, ecological tolerance, ecosystems, extinction, food source, gulf of mexico, human caused stressors, marine fish, mary ruckelshaus, michelle staudinger, migrating birds, nancy grimm, natural resource, pacific coast, peter kareiva, plant, pollution, rainfall, risk, shawn carter, stuart chapin, tempe, U.S. Geological Survey, united states, waterborne disease, wildlife

Plant and animal species are shifting their geographic ranges and the timing of their life events – such as flowering, laying eggs or migrating – at faster rates than researchers documented just a few years ago, according to a technical report on biodiversity and ecosystems used as scientific input for the 2013 Third National Climate Assessment.

The report, Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services, synthesizes the scientific understanding of the way climate change is affecting ecosystems, ecosystem services and the diversity of species, as well as what strategies might be used by natural resource practitioners to decrease current and future risks. More than 60 federal, academic and other scientists, including the lead authors from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Wildlife Federation and Arizona State University in Tempe, authored the assessment. (more…)

UCLA Life Scientists View Biodiversity Through a Whole New Dimension

By Guest PostJune 2, 2012Naturebody size, ecological systems, extra dimension, feeding rates, food supply, food webs, spatial dimension, third spatial dimension

Study of body size, feeding rates has implications for ecosystems, food supply

How can blue whales, the largest animals on the planet, survive by feeding on krill, shrimp-like creatures that are the size of a penny? According to UCLA life scientists, it’s all a matter of dimensions. (more…)

Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture: Pest-control Services at Risk

By Guest PostMarch 31, 2011Environmentagriculture, bat populations, bats, costs of pesticide applications, ecological systems, economic consequences, gary mccracken, insect eating bats, justin boyles, lung damage, migratory bats, new york, paul cryan, pest control, pressure changes, the great plains, tom kunz, united states, university of pretoria, university of tennessee, white nose syndrome, wind turbines

Pest-control services provided by insect-eating bats in the United States likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year, and yet insectivorous bats are among the most overlooked economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America, according to an analysis published in this week’s Science magazine Policy Forum.

“People often ask why we should care about bats,” said Paul Cryan, a U.S. Geological Survey research scientist and one of the study’s authors. “This analysis suggests that bats are saving us big bucks by gobbling up insects that eat or damage our crops. It is obviously beneficial that insectivorous bats are patrolling the skies at night above our fields and forests — these bats deserve help.” (more…)

Climate Change: Cultural Shift Needed Similar to Smoking, Slavery

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2010Culture, Environmentandy hoffman, attitudes, cigarette smoking, climate change, cultural attitudes, cultural shift, earth, ecological systems, erb institute, fossil fuels, holcim professor, moral problem, planetary scale, scientific evidence, slavery, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Despite scientific evidence of climate change, it will take a significant cultural shift in attitudes to address the situation, says a University of Michigan researcher.

The shift would be much like what has happened with recent cigarette smoking bans and even similar to the abolition of slavery in the 19th century.

“The present reality is that we tend to overlook the social dimensions of environmental issues and focus strictly on their technological and economic aspects,” said Andy Hoffman, the Holcim (U.S.) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and Environment. “To properly address climate change, we must change the way we structure our organizations and the way we think as individuals. (more…)

Mountain Vegetation Impacted by Climate Change

By Guest PostOctober 26, 2010Environmentclimate change, ecological systems, ecosystems, forests, herbaceous, low elevations, mountain vegetation, oregon, siskiyou mountains, species, stress-adapted, stresses, U.S. Geological Survey

Climate change has had a significant effect on mountain vegetation at low elevations in the past 60 years, according to a study done by the University of California at Davis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and U.S. Geological Survey.

This information may guide future conservation efforts in helping decision makers develop regional landscape predictions about biological responses to climate changes. (more…)

Tag Archives: ecological systems

Emerging Consensus Shows Climate Change Already Having Major Effects on Ecosystems and Species

UCLA Life Scientists View Biodiversity Through a Whole New Dimension

Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture: Pest-control Services at Risk

Climate Change: Cultural Shift Needed Similar to Smoking, Slavery

Mountain Vegetation Impacted by Climate Change