articleGlobal Ecology and BiogeographyJun 4, 2010GREEN OA

Global patterns in the vulnerability of ecosystems to vegetation shifts due to climate change

PGPatrick GonzálezRPRonald P. NeilsonJMJames M. LenihanRJRaymond J. Drapek

University of California, Berkeley · Pacific Northwest Research Station

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim Climate change threatens to shift vegetation, disrupting ecosystems and damaging human well‐being. Field observations in boreal, temperate and tropical ecosystems have detected biome changes in the 20th century, yet a lack of spatial data on vulnerability hinders organizations that manage natural resources from identifying priority areas for adaptation measures. We explore potential methods to identify areas vulnerable to vegetation shifts and potential refugia. Location Global vegetation biomes. Methods We examined nine combinations of three sets of potential indicators of the vulnerability of ecosystems to biome change: (1) observed changes of 20th‐century climate, (2) projected 21st‐century…

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Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Biome
  • Climate change
  • Vegetation (pathology)
  • Tundra
  • Ecosystem
  • Vulnerability (computing)
  • Temperate climate
  • Boreal
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