scholarly journals Natural areas as a basis for assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate change

Ecosphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret H. Massie ◽  
Todd M. Wilson ◽  
Anita T. Morzillo ◽  
Emilie B. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Ecosystem Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change

scholarly journals A New Framework to Assess Relative Ecosystem Vulnerability to Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e12372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin Ka Fai Lee ◽  
Clare Duncan ◽  
Harry Jon Foord Owen ◽  
Nathalie Pettorelli
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
New Framework

scholarly journals Assessment of the vulnerability of alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
Xianzhou Zhang ◽  
Yongtao He ◽  
Ben Niu ◽  
Jianshuang Wu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Alpine Grasslands ◽  
Ecosystem Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Desert Steppes ◽  
Grassland Types

Assessing ecosystem vulnerability to climate change is critical for sustainable and adaptive ecosystem management. Alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are considered to be vulnerable to climate change, yet the ecosystem tends to maintain stability by increasing resilience and decreasing sensitivity. To date, the spatial pattern of grassland vulnerability to climate change and the mechanisms that vegetation applies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on grasslands by altering relevant ecosystem characteristics, especially sensitivity and resilience, remain unknown. In this study, we first assessed the spatial pattern of grassland vulnerability to climate change by integrating exposure, sensitivity, and resilience simultaneously, and then identified its driving forces. The results show that grasslands with high vulnerability were mainly located on the edges of the plateau, whereas alpine grasslands in the hinterlands of the plateau showed a low vulnerability. This spatial pattern of alpine grassland vulnerability was controlled by climatic exposure, and grassland sensitivity and resilience to climate change might also exacerbate or alleviate the degree of vulnerability. Climate change had variable impacts on different grassland types. Desert steppes were more vulnerable to climate change than alpine meadows and alpine steppes because of the high variability in environmental factors and their low ability to recover from perturbations. Our findings also confirm that grazing intensity, a quantitative index of the most important human disturbance on alpine grasslands in this plateau, was significantly correlated with ecosystem vulnerability. Moderate grazing intensity was of benefit for increasing grassland resilience and then subsequently reducing grassland vulnerability. Thus, this study suggests that future assessments of ecosystem vulnerability should not ignore anthropogenic disturbances, which might benefit environmental protection and sustainable management of grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals Integrating Science and Management to Assess Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability to Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie A. Brandt ◽  
Patricia R. Butler ◽  
Stephen D. Handler ◽  
Maria K. Janowiak ◽  
P. Danielle Shannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change
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