Interspecific plant competition mediates the metabolic and ecological signature of a plant-herbivore interaction under warming and elevated CO2

AbstractBiotic interactions shape community evolution, but we lack mechanistic insights on how metabolic and ecological processes under climate change are altered by biotic interactions.We used a two-trophic model community consisting of the aphidDysaphis plantagineafeeding on the forbPlantago lanceolata, and a grass competitorLolium perennethat does not experience herbivory by the aphid. Monocultures and mixtures were exposed to the herbivory treatment and to three relevant simulated environmental changes as prevalent under current climate change (increased temperature, CO2, and increased temperature and CO2)Elevated CO2reduced the nitrogen content ofP. lanceolata, while simultaneous increases of CO2and temperature modified the plant metabolic component and the magnitude of these responses in different directions. Elevated CO2enhanced defence systems inP. lanceolata, but these effects were not altered by warming. Interspecific plant competition did, however, neutralise these responses. There were no indirect effects of climate change on aphid population growth despite changes in plant defense, nutritional quality and biomass induced by our environmental change scenarios.We thus demonstrate interactions between abiotic and biotic processes on plant metabolite profiles, but more importantly, that climate change effect on a selection of the metabolic pathways are altered by herbivory and competition. Our experiment under semi-natural conditions thus demonstrates the non-additive and often neutralizing effects of biotic interactions on plant metabolism and species performance under climate-associated environmental change.

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Farmers’ Perspective on Agriculture and Environmental Change in the Circumpolar North of Europe and America

Land ◽

10.3390/land8120190 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 190 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher Poeplau ◽

Julia Schroeder ◽

Ed Gregorich ◽

Irina Kurganova

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Online Survey ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Small Scale ◽

Local Market ◽

Food Transport ◽

Circumpolar North ◽

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Climate change may increase the importance of agriculture in the global Circumpolar North with potentially critical implications for pristine northern ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles. With this in mind, a global online survey was conducted to understand northern agriculture and farmers’ perspective on environmental change north of 60° N. In the obtained dataset with 67 valid answers, Alaska and the Canadian territories were dominated by small-scale vegetable, herbs, hay, and flower farms; the Atlantic Islands were dominated by sheep farms; and Fennoscandia was dominated by cereal farming. In Alaska and Canada, farmers had mostly immigrated with hardly any background in farming, while farmers in Fennoscandia and on the Atlantic Islands mostly continued family traditions. Accordingly, the average time since conversion from native land was 28 ± 28 and 25 ± 12 years in Alaska and Canada, respectively, but 301 ± 291 and 255 ± 155 years on the Atlantic Islands and in Fennoscandia, respectively, revealing that American northern agriculture is expanding. Climate change was observed by 84% of all farmers, of which 67% have already started adapting their farming practices, by introducing new varieties or altering timings. Fourteen farmers reported permafrost on their land, with 50% observing more shallow permafrost on uncultivated land than on cultivated land. Cultivation might thus accelerate permafrost thawing, potentially with associated consequences for biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gas emissions. About 87% of the surveyed farmers produced for the local market, reducing emissions of food transport. The dynamics of northern land-use change and agriculture with associated environmental changes should be closely monitored. The dataset is available for further investigations.

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Human responses to hydroclimate fluctuations over the last 200 kyr in Ethiopia

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11488 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Frank Schäbitz ◽

Verena Foerster ◽

Asfawossen Asrat ◽

Andrew S. Cohen ◽

Melissa S. Chapot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Ethiopian Rift ◽

Mobility Patterns

Humans have been adapting to more demanding habitats in the course of their evolutionary history. Nevertheless, environmental changes coupled with overpopulation naturally limit competition for resources. In order to find such limits, reconstructions of climate and population changes are increasingly used for the continent of our origin, Africa. However, continuous and high-resolution records of climate-human interactions are still scarce. Using a 280 m sediment core from Chew Bahir*, a wide tectonic basin in southern Ethiopia, we reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions during the development of Homo sapiens. The complete multiproxy record of the composite core covers the last ~600 ka , allowing tests of hypotheses about the influence of climate change on human evolution and technological innovation from the Late Acheulean to the Middle/Late Stone Age, and on dispersal within and out of Africa. Here we present results from the uppermost 100 meters of the Chew Bahir core, spanning the last 200 kiloyears (ka). The record shows two modes of environmental change that are associated with two types of human mobility. The first mode is a long-term trend towards a more arid climate, overlain by precession-driven wet-dry alternation. Through comparison with the archaeological record, humid episodes appear to have led to the opening of &#8216;green&#8217; networks between favourable habitats and thus to increased human mobility on a regional scale. The second mode of environmental change resembles millennial-scale Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events, which seem to coincide with enhanced vertical mobility from the Ethiopian rift to the highlands, especially in the time frame between ~65&#8211;21 ka BP. The coincidence of climate change and human mobility patterns help to define the limiting conditions for early Homo sapiens in eastern Africa.___________________* cored in the context of HSPDP (Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project) and CRC&#160;(Collaborative Research Centre) 806 &#8220;Our way to Europe&#8221;

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Should we turn the tent? Inuit women and climate change

Études/Inuit/Studies ◽

10.7202/045409ar ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 151-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Martha Dowsley ◽

Shari Gearheard ◽

Noor Johnson ◽

Jocelyn Inksetter

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Social Impact ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Social Changes ◽

Secondary Effects ◽

The Social ◽

Women’S Perceptions ◽

Inuit Knowledge ◽

Women's Role

Abstract Most of the climate change literature for Arctic Canada in the social sciences has focused on men’s knowledge and experiences. Drawing on research from Qikiqtarjuaq and Clyde River, Nunavut, we explore Inuit women’s perspectives on recent environmental changes, many of which are often attributed to climate change by Inuit or others. We divide issues resulting from environmental change into primary and secondary effects. Primary effects are changes in environmental features that affect, for example, hunting, fishing, and travelling. Secondary effects occur in the community as a result of environmental change. These include changes in the use and condition of country products like seal skins, and the psychological and social impact of environmental changes, such as going out on the land less often due to fear of dangerous conditions. We also offer a preliminary discussion on women’s role in responses to climate change, through their often dominant economic and political roles in their communities, the territory, and various wider global governance fora. Our research indicates that gender helps shape Inuit knowledge of environmental change, as well as social responses to perceptions of change. By examining women’s perceptions of environmental change, we draw attention to the social aspects and also highlight how women can contribute to adaptation, not only to physical changes but also to the resulting social changes.

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Education on Global Climate and Environmental Change in University of China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.838-841.3195 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 838-841 ◽

pp. 3195-3198

Author(s):

Jian Cheng Kang ◽

Xiaochen Su

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Global Climate ◽

Earth System ◽

Ecological Civilization ◽

Environment Change ◽

Climate And Environmental Change ◽

The Earth ◽

Normal University

Global Climate and Environmental Change is an international hot field. To enhance native awareness on climate change is one mission of "State Policy and Action on Climate Change 2009 in China". As an implement, a course on Global Climate and Environmental Change has been opened in Shanghai Normal University since 2005. The course includes three fields. In the first field, it is introduced on which problems and harms have been caused from Global Climate and Environmental Changes according to UNEP Year Books 2003~2013. In the second field, to introduce the Earth System and Climate-Environment Change. In the third part, the hot climate-environmental issues are analyzed and discussed. By joining this course, the students have understanding earth system science and global change. It helped students to set up the view of ecological civilization of the harmonious development between human and nature, inspire students responsibility to protect the earth. During past 8 year, there were 4 to 5 classes opening for different levels in Shanghai Normal University for each year, more than 1000 students joined the study in the course.

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On the development of a trait-based approach for studying Neotropical bats

Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia ◽

10.11606/1807-0205/2021.61.24 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 61 ◽

pp. e20216124

Author(s):

Dennis Castillo-Figueroa ◽

Jairo Pérez-Torres

Keyword(s):

Environmental Changes ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Biotic Interactions ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Functional Studies ◽

Functional Relations

New World bats are involved in key ecological processes and are good indicators of environmental changes. Recently, trait-based approaches have been used in several taxa to better understand mechanisms underlying species assemblages, biotic interactions, environmental relationships and ecosystem functions. However, despite the relevance of bats on ecosystem dynamics, so far, there is no conceptual framework that relies on the measurement of bat traits to address functional studies. Here, we present a set of 50 bat biological traits, which are suitable to assess environmental stressors and can potentially affect ecological processes. Several examples were provided to show the applicability of this framework in the study of Neotropical bat ecology. We suggest some considerations regarding trait-based approach including the importance of intraspecific variation, correlations between traits, response-effect framework, global dataset, and future directions to assess the reliability of functional relations across species and Neotropical regions by using traits. This could be helpful in tackling ecological questions associated with community assembly and habitat filtering, species diversity patterns along environmental gradients, and ecological processes. We envision this paper as a first step toward an integrative bat functional trait protocol held up with solid evidence.

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Coral Reef Resilience through Biodiversity

ISRN Oceanography ◽

10.5402/2013/739034 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Caroline S. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Future Research ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Coral Reef Resilience ◽

Global Action ◽

Coral Reef Degradation

Irrefutable evidence of coral reef degradation worldwide and increasing pressure from rising seawater temperatures and ocean acidification associated with climate change have led to a focus on reef resilience and a call to “manage” coral reefs for resilience. Ideally, global action to reduce emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will be accompanied by local action. Effective management requires reduction of local stressors, identification of the characteristics of resilient reefs, and design of marine protected area networks that include potentially resilient reefs. Future research is needed on how stressors interact, on how climate change will affect corals, fish, and other reef organisms as well as overall biodiversity, and on basic ecological processes such as connectivity. Not all reef species and reefs will respond similarly to local and global stressors. Because reef-building corals and other organisms have some potential to adapt to environmental changes, coral reefs will likely persist in spite of the unprecedented combination of stressors currently affecting them. The biodiversity of coral reefs is the basis for their remarkable beauty and for the benefits they provide to society. The extraordinary complexity of these ecosystems makes it both more difficult to predict their future and more likely they will have a future.

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Double trouble: the implications of climate change for biological invasions

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.62.55729 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 463-487

Author(s):

Tamara B. Robinson ◽

Nicole Martin ◽

Tainã G. Loureiro ◽

Phikolomzi Matikinca ◽

Mark P. Robertson

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Biological Invasions ◽

Physiological Response ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biotic Interactions ◽

Institutional Capacity ◽

Invasion Success ◽

Invasion Process ◽

Management Actions ◽

Transit Times

The implications of climate change for biological invasions are multifaceted and vary along the invasion process. Changes in vectors and pathways are likely to manifest in changes in transport routes and destinations, together with altered transit times and traffic volume. Ultimately, changes in the nature of why, how, and where biota are transported and introduced will pose biosecurity challenges. These challenges will require increased human and institutional capacity, as well as proactive responses such as improved early detection, adaptation of present protocols and innovative legal instruments. Invasion success and spread are expected to be moderated by the physiological response of alien and native biota to environmental changes and the ensuing changes in biotic interactions. These in turn will likely affect management actions aimed at eradicating, containing, and mitigating invasions, necessitating an adaptive approach to management that is sensitive to potentially unanticipated outcomes.

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Announcing Big-Bee: An initiative to promote understanding of bees through image and trait digitization

Biodiversity Information Science and Standards ◽

10.3897/biss.5.74037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Katja Seltmann ◽

Julie Allen ◽

Brian Brown ◽

Adrian Carper ◽

Michael Engel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Natural History ◽

Data Science ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biotic Interactions ◽

Natural World ◽

Cultivated Plants ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Species Association ◽

Image Datasets

While bees are critical to sustaining a large proportion of global food production, as well as pollinating both wild and cultivated plants, they are decreasing in both numbers and diversity. Our understanding of the factors driving these declines is limited, in part, because we lack sufficient data on the distribution of bee species to predict changes in their geographic range under climate change scenarios. Additionally lacking is adequate data on the behavioral and anatomical traits that may make bees either vulnerable or resilient to human-induced environmental changes, such as habitat loss and climate change. Fortunately, a wealth of associated attributes can be extracted from the specimens deposited in natural history collections for over 100 years. Extending Anthophila Research Through Image and Trait Digitization (Big-Bee) is a newly funded US National Science Foundation Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections project. Over the course of three years, we will create over one million high-resolution 2D and 3D images of bee specimens (Fig. 1), representing over 5,000 worldwide bee species, including most of the major pollinating species. We will also develop tools to measure bee traits from images and generate comprehensive bee trait and image datasets to measure changes through time. The Big-Bee network of participating institutions includes 13 US institutions (Fig. 2) and partnerships with US government agencies. We will develop novel mechanisms for sharing image datasets and datasets of bee traits that will be available through an open, Symbiota-Light (Gilbert et al. 2020) data portal called the Bee Library. In addition, biotic interaction and species association data will be shared via Global Biotic Interactions (Poelen et al. 2014). The Big-Bee project will engage the public in research through community science via crowdsourcing trait measurements and data transcription from images using Notes from Nature (Hill et al. 2012). Training and professional development for natural history collection staff, researchers, and university students in data science will be provided through the creation and implementation of workshops focusing on bee traits and species identification. We are also planning a short, artistic college radio segment called "the Buzz" to get people excited about bees, biodiversity, and the wonders of our natural world.

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Possible impact of climate and environmental change on ticks and tick-borne disease in England.

10.1079/9781789249637.0075 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 518-527

Author(s):

Jolyon Medlock ◽

Kayleigh Hansford

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Climate Change ◽

Health Risk ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

The Public ◽

Climate And Environmental Change ◽

Tick Borne Disease ◽

Survival Density

Abstract The survival, density and distribution of ticks are determined by three key elements: microclimate, habitat and host, all of which can be impacted by climate change. The public health risk from ticks is further influenced by human behaviour and the way in which we access and manage the environment where ticks or key tick hosts are found. This expert opinion considers how these factors influence tick-borne disease (TBD) transmission in a changing climate, first by discussing direct effects of climate change on ticks and TBD, and second the indirect effects and environmental changes that make direct comparisons of climate and ticks so challenging.

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Large and interacting effects of temperature and nutrient addition on stratified microbial ecosystems — results from an aquatic model micro-ecosystem

10.1101/2020.12.09.415786 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marcel Suleiman ◽

Yves Choffat ◽

Uriah Daugaard ◽

Owen L Petchey

Keyword(s):

Environmental Change ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Global Environmental Change ◽

Experimental System ◽

Nutrient Addition ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Abiotic Conditions

AbstractAquatic ecosystems are often stratified, with cyanobacteria in oxic layers and phototrophic sulfur bacteria in anoxic ones. Changes in stratification caused by global environmental change are an ongoing concern. Understanding how such aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, and associated abiotic conditions, respond to multifarious environmental changes is an important endeavor in microbial ecology. Insights come from observations of naturally occurring stratified aquatic ecosystems, and from theoretical models of ecological processes. Here we complement such studies with an experimental approach in the laboratory, using a novel aquatic micro-ecosystem, with distinct oxic/anoxic strata. Our two main objectives are to 1) describe the features of this promising micro-ecosystem and 2) report how the microbial community composition (full-length 16S rRNA-sequencing) and the abiotic conditions responded to two globally relevant environmental changes (temperature and nutrient addition). The composition of the strongly stratified microbial communities was highly affected by temperature and by the interaction of temperature and nutrient addition. Dissolved oxygen and pH responded to the treatments, with differences in effect between the oxic and anoxic zone. Further research with this experimental system could focus on effects of environmental change on spatial distribution and on stability of the communities to press and pulse perturbations.

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