Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2026
10:20
Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter
Published on: March 12, 2013
The interplay between climate change, forests, and disturbances
V H Dale1, L A Joyce, S McNulty
1Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831-6036, USA. vhd@ornl.gov
The Science of the Total Environment
|November 22, 2000
Summary
Climate change impacts forest ecosystems through natural disturbances. Understanding these interactions is crucial for forest resilience and future research.
Area of Science:
- Forestry and ecological science
- Climate change impacts on ecosystems
Background:
- Forest ecosystems are naturally influenced by disturbances.
- Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of these natural disturbances.
- These alterations can disrupt forest structure, function, and species composition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the multifaceted impacts of climate change on forest disturbances.
- To highlight the disruption of natural interactions within forest ecosystems.
- To emphasize the need for further research and tool development.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on climate change and forest disturbances.
- Analysis of ecological interactions and species-specific responses.
- Examination of spatial and temporal scales of disturbance impacts.
Main Results:
- Climate change directly and indirectly affects forests via disturbances.
- Disturbances exceeding natural variation lead to extreme changes in forest ecosystems.
- Specific disturbances interact closely with species and communities, increasing vulnerability.
Conclusions:
- Climate change significantly alters forest disturbance regimes.
- Understanding these complex interactions across scales is vital.
- Continued research, observation, and tool development are essential for forest management and conservation.
Related Concept Videos
01:16What is Climate?
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
01:50Global Climate Change
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
02:17Ecological Succession
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
02:26Ecological Disturbance
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.Ecological disturbances can be caused by an event as small as the trampling of underbrush to an incident as wide-ranging as a forest...
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
01:27Microbes and Climate Change
Microorganisms are pivotal agents in Earth's biogeochemical cycles, significantly influencing climate dynamics through their metabolic activities. These microbes modulate the levels of key greenhouse gases by both contributing to and helping mitigate climate change.Microbial Contributions to Greenhouse Gas EmissionsRising global temperatures accelerate microbial metabolism, which, in turn, speeds up the decomposition of organic matter. This process releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) through...