© PSG and PDC, 2005
Last
Update:
February 11, 2008
Chapter 12 - Environments under threat - the biogeography of change.
New books and papers | Websites
Chapter Outline :
- Ecosystems are dynamic: they are subject to constant change;
- Anything which causes or leads to change in an ecosystem can be regarded as a threat to the survival of that particular ecosystem;
- Threats come from both natural and human sources;
- Natural changes to ecosystems arise from longterm evolution through medium-term successional and zonational changes through to short-term catastrophic changes such as volcanic activity;
- Threats from human sources include the creation of ecosystems (e.g. from agriculture), from modification (e.g. grasslands) and destruction (e.g. rainforests) as well as short-term catastrophic events such as warfare;
- One of our most important practical tasks is the measurement and assessment of threat levels;
- A key current
use of biogeography is to find and implement solutions to threats
facing ecosystems.
| Author(s) | Title (and link) | Comment |
| Hendry, Nosil and Rieseberg 2007 | The speed of ecological speciation | Key comments on a crucial topic. Argues that some speciation can take place in 12 generations. |
| Valentine et al 2006 | Assessing the fidelity of the fossil record by using marine bivalves | This paper shows how we can estimate biases in the fossil record and how to compensate for them. |
| Thuiller et al 2006 | Endemic species and ecosystem sensitivity to climate change in Namibia | Except in some specialised areas, anthropogenic-induced climate change will lead to dramatic changes in patterns of endemicity and ecosystem functioning. |
| Pounds et al 2006 | Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming | One more example of the changes that might occur in a warmer world. |
| Bonaccorso et al 2006 | Pleistocene fragmentation of Amazon species’ ranges | Using niche theory the authors try to recreate forest patterns at the last glacial maximum. Their work suggests that fragments were produced but in uncertain patterns. |
| Avissar and Werth 2005 | Global Hydroclimatological Teleconnections Resulting from Tropical Deforestation. | Teleconnections - the idea that changes in one place can cause changes elsewhere gets more evidence from this study of the Amazon. |
| Schoener, Losos, and Spiller 2005 | Island Biogeography of Populations: An Introduced Species Transforms Survival Patterns | Shows the impact of introduced species onto islands by way of examining the survival rates of lizards. |
| Asner et al 2005 | Selective Logging in the Brazilian Amazon | A novel application of satellite imagery gives us a way forward in assessing land use change. |
| Beman, Arrigo and Matson 2005 | Agricultural runoff fuels large phytoplankton blooms in vulnerable areas of the ocean | A study showing the vulnerability of key marine areas to fertilizers |
| Mack et al | Ecosystem
carbon storage in arctic tundra reduced by long-term nutrient fertilization |
Anthropogenic sources of nutrients i.e. fertilizers can damage delicate arctic ecosystems. |
Name |
Comment |
|
If you find something that would be useful to other people then please let us know.