2018 ESA Annual Meeting (August 5 -- 10)

SYMP 4 - Extreme Climatic Events, Extreme Ecological Responses and Impacts on Ecosystem Resilience

Tuesday, August 7, 2018: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
350-351, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Organizer:
Melinda Smith
Co-organizers:
Alan Knapp and Osvaldo E. Sala
Moderator:
Alan Knapp
The 103rd annual meeting’s theme “Extreme events, ecosystem resilience, and human well-being” seeks to address how “the sustainability of ecosystem services and human well-being depends on ecosystem resilience to extreme events”. Our proposed symposium is aimed at examining linkages between extreme climatic events, the ecological responses these events elicit, and the effect of extreme ecological responses on ecosystem resilience. When understanding these linkages it is important to consider that not all extreme climatic events result in extreme ecological responses, that is, ecological responses that are well outside the bounds of nominal variation of a system. However, in those cases where an extreme climatic event does result in an extreme ecological response, such responses are often accompanied by large changes in ecosystem properties such as community diversity and/or composition. Indeed, such community impacts have been observed in response to extreme events, such as the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930’s and the extreme drought of the early 2000’s in southwestern US. It has been proposed that ecosystem resilience - defined here as the ability of system to absorb and/or recover from an extreme event - may be undermined if an extreme climatic event elicits an extreme ecological response via altered community composition. For example, if there is widespread loss of populations of species and resultant shifts in community composition, then the expectation is that recovery from an extreme event will be protracted. In contrast, the expectation is for rapid recovery if such community legacy effects (i.e., widespread shifts in community composition and/or diversity) do not occur. The proposed session will provide an overview of current state of understanding of linkages between extreme climatic events and extreme ecological responses, as well as the role that community legacy effects may play in determining ecosystem resilience from extreme events, with particular focus on extreme drought.
8:30 AM
Ecological responses to extreme climatic events: Linking theory, observations, and experiments
David L. Hoover, USDA-ARS; Melinda Smith, Colorado State University; Alan Knapp, Colorado State University; Kevin Wilcox, USDA-ARS; Kristina E. Young, University of Texas at El Paso; Meghan L. Avolio, Johns Hopkins University; Sally E. Koerner, University of North Carolina Greensboro; Kimberly J. La Pierre, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
9:00 AM
Extreme weather events and ecosystem functioning: Heavy rain spells have stronger impacts on productivity, nutrient cycling and biotic interactions than severe drought
Anke Jentsch, University of Bayreuth; Mohammed Abu Sayed Arfin Khan, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, University of Bayreuth; Juergen Kreyling, Greifswald University; Peter Wilfahrt, University of Bayreuth; Carl Beierkuhnlein, University of Bayreuth
9:30 AM
9:40 AM
The ecological impacts of extreme drought events in temperate forest ecosystems
Heidi Asbjornsen, University of New Hampshire; Cameron McIntire, University of New Hampshire; Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, University of New Hampshire; Z. Carter Berry, University of New Hampshire; Adam Coble, University of New Hampshire; Katie A. Jennings, University of New Hampshire
10:10 AM
What role does the magnitude, duration, or timing of climatic extremes playing in influencing ecosystem resilience?
Andrew Felton, Utah State University; Melinda Smith, Colorado State University
10:40 AM
Determinants of ecological responses to extreme precipitation events
Osvaldo E. Sala, Arizona State University; Laureano A. Gherardi, Global Drylands Center; Debra P.C. Peters, USDA ARS Jornada Experimental Range
11:10 AM
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