Extreme events challenge the resilience of arid and semi-arid ecosystems

Martinez-Yrizar, Angelina

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

243, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Angelina Martinez-Yrizar¹, Juan C. Alvarez-Yepiz², Victor J. Jaramillo³, Manuel Maass³, Geoffrey G. Parker⁴, Alberto Burquez¹, Adrian Bojorquez¹, Onésimo Galaz¹, Enriquena Bustamante¹, Darin Law⁵, Jason P. Field⁵ and David D. Breshears⁵, (1)Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Hermosillo, Mexico, (2)Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora, Mexico, (3)Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Morelia, Mexico, (4)Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, (5)School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Extreme events can rapidly alter ecosystem structure and function, challenging our current understanding of ecosystem resilience. Response to climate extremes is largely unknown at the ecosystem level, especially in water-limited environments from southwestern USA to western Mexico. This region has species exhibiting different adaptive traits to cope with variations in water availability. Yet, it is unclear how future changes in rainfall and temperature may affect these ecosystems in the long-term. We explore different well-studied cases in arid and semi-arid ecosystems to provide new insights into their resilience to climate extremes in this transboundary region.

INS 7-7 - Extreme events challenge the resilience of arid and semi-arid ecosystems