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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Published on: June 30, 2020

When ecosystem services crash: preparing for big, fast, patchy climate change.

David D Breshears¹, Laura López-Hoffman, Lisa J Graumlich

¹School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0043, USA. daveb@email.arizona.edu

|June 8, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Ecosystem crashes from climate change can be sudden and widespread. Building resilience requires understanding service portability and stakeholder flexibility, with cooperative networks being key.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Climate Change Adaptation
Ecosystem Services

Background:

Current adaptation strategies often overlook the potential for large, rapid, and spatially variable ecosystem responses to climate change.
Drought-induced tree die-off in semiarid regions exemplifies how ecosystem collapse drastically impacts ecosystem services and management.
Previous work links adaptive capacity and vulnerability to the geographic location of resources.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a framework for retaining ecosystem services during sudden ecosystem crashes.
To analyze how service portability and stakeholder location flexibility influence adaptation options.
To identify strategies for enhancing stakeholder resilience to abrupt, large-scale environmental changes.

Main Methods:

Developed a conceptual framework analyzing ecosystem service "portability" and stakeholder "location flexibility."
Integrated concepts of adaptive capacity and vulnerability related to geographic location.
Synthesized findings to propose strategies for building resilience.

Main Results:

The ability to retain ecosystem services depends on whether the service is portable or if stakeholders can relocate.
Stakeholders utilizing portable services or those able to move are generally more resilient to ecosystem crashes.
Cooperative networks among geographically dispersed stakeholders are crucial for resilience.

Conclusions:

Resilience to severe, rapid, and patchy climate impacts necessitates a shift from incremental adaptation to strategies addressing ecosystem collapse.
Understanding the interplay between service characteristics and stakeholder behavior is vital for effective adaptation planning.
Fostering regional cooperation is essential for managing ecosystem services in the face of unpredictable environmental change.