Ecological and evolutionary impacts of changing climatic variability.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Climate Science

Background:

• Ecologists and evolutionary biologists acknowledge climate change impacts.
• Limited research exists on the effects of increased climatic variability and extremes.
• Focus has been primarily on changes in average climatic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on the impacts of increased climatic variability and extremes.
• To examine effects across physiological, ecological, and evolutionary processes.
• To assess impacts at multiple levels of biological organization (individuals, populations, communities).

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies.
• Analysis of impacts on biological processes.
• Synthesis of findings across different scales of biological organization.

Main Results:

• Increased climatic variability profoundly influences biological processes at multiple scales.
• Responses to climatic variability and extremes are complex and not always generalizable.
• Current conceptual and methodological tools enable informed predictions.

Conclusions:

• Climatic variability is a critical aspect of climate change.
• Further research attention is needed on the impacts of climatic variability.
• Understanding variability is crucial for predicting ecological and evolutionary responses to climate change.