All articles tagged with #ecosystem resilience
A study of 56 million-year-old fossil pollen reveals that during a rapid global warming event, pollination shifted from wind to animal pollination, with plants from dry tropical regions expanding poleward, offering insights into how ecosystems respond to climate change and the importance of rate of change for survival.
The Amazon forest, a vital ecosystem, faces potential mass mortality events due to climatic and land use-related disturbances, which could accelerate climate change and lead to irreversible loss of biodiversity and cultural values. Evidence from paleorecords, observational data, and modeling studies suggests that the Amazon forest system may be approaching critical thresholds, potentially leading to alternative stable states. Factors such as global warming, disturbance regimes, CO2 fertilization, environmental heterogeneity, and connectivity contribute to the risk of systemic transition. Understanding and addressing these critical drivers are crucial for managing and avoiding catastrophic behavior in the Amazon forest system.