Journal article

Biological responses to the press and pulse of climate trends and extreme events

RMB Harris, LJ Beaumont, TR Vance, CR Tozer, TA Remenyi, SE Perkins-Kirkpatrick, PJ Mitchell, AB Nicotra, S McGregor, NR Andrew, M Letnic, MR Kearney, T Wernberg, LB Hutley, LE Chambers, M-S Fletcher, MR Keatley, CA Woodward, G Williamson, NC Duke Show all

NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2018

Abstract

The interaction of gradual climate trends and extreme weather events since the turn of the century has triggered complex and, in some cases, catastrophic ecological responses around the world. We illustrate this using Australian examples within a press-pulse framework. Despite the Australian biota being adapted to high natural climate variability, recent combinations of climatic presses and pulses have led to population collapses, loss of relictual communities and shifts into novel ecosystems. These changes have been sudden and unpredictable, and may represent permanent transitions to new ecosystem states without adaptive management interventions. The press-pulse framework helps illuminate b..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

This paper is the result of a workshop on climate variability and biodiversity (past, present, future), funded by The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and organized by N. Roslyn. D. Rosauer participated in the workshop. K. Henle (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ) gave helpful advice about management options.