SYMP 19 - Ecosystem Transitions Across Ecosystems; From Basic to Applied

Organizer(s)

• CW

  Carmen Watkins, Biology

  PhD Candidate
  University of Oregon
  Eugene, OR, United States

Co-organizer(s)

• CP

  Cristy Portales-Reyes

  Assistant Professor
  St. Louis University, United States
• BA

  Beatriz Aguirre, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  Cornell University, United States

Ecosystems are experiencing increasing pressure from human impacts and a changing, more variable climate. These drivers can shift the species composition or functioning of an ecosystem in persistent and difficult to reverse ways. For example, fire suppression and heavy grazing can promote increased shrub encroachment in grassland ecosystems, while nutrient enrichment can shift species composition, often reducing species diversity and favoring invasive species. These perturbations occur on top of existing climate variability which can interact with drivers and further promote ecosystem change. Whether these shifts in composition and function are critical transitions or transient dynamics in ecosystems remains an open question. However, these topics are of immediate relevance for managing landscapes in a changing world. To bridge the gap between theoretical and applied work in this domain, we will gather experts who study ecosystem transitions from both academic and applied lenses. The talks in this session will highlight the mechanisms driving community composition shifts and ecosystem transitions across ecosystem types. By inviting experts with diverse perspectives from different sectors, we will highlight some of the most important mechanisms driving ecosystem transitions and draw attention to current research gaps that will advance the field.

Presentations:

• 1:30 PM – 1:50 PM PDT

  Synthesizing evidence of ecosystem transitions in grassland ecosystems
  

  Presenting Author: Cristy Portales-Reyes – St. Louis University

  Co-author: Hanan Cabdi Farah – Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

  Co-author: Tadashi Fukami – Stanford University, Department of Biology

  Co-author: Laureano A. Gherardi – University of California, Berkeley

  Co-author: Forest Isbell, PhD – University of Minnesota

  Co-author: David L. Hoover – Agricultural Research Service

  Co-author: Beatriz A. Aguirre, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology – Cornell University

  Co-author: Lukas P. Bell-Dereske – Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

  Co-author: Anny Chung – Department of Plant Biology and Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA

  Co-author: Joan C. Dudney – UC Santa Barbara

  Co-author: Lauren M. Hallett – University of Oregon

  Co-author: Carmen R. E. Watkins, Biology – University of Oregon

  Co-author: Megan E. Wilcots – University of Minnesota
• 1:50 PM – 2:10 PM PDT

  Will climate change lead to ecological transition in a grassland-shrubland ecotone in northeast Wyoming?
  

  Presenting Author: Lauren M. Porensky, Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit – USDA-ARS

  Co-author: David L. Hoover – Agricultural Research Service

  Co-author: Troy Ocheltree – Colorado State University
• 2:10 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

  Environmental variability drives shifts in plant community composition across ecosystems
  

  Presenting Author: Beatriz A. Aguirre, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology – Cornell University

  Co-author: Anny Chung – Department of Plant Biology and Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA

  Co-author: Carmen R. E. Watkins, Biology – University of Oregon

  Co-author: Lukas P. Bell-Dereske – Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

  Co-author: Joan C. Dudney – UC Santa Barbara

  Co-author: Megan E. Wilcots – University of Minnesota

  Co-author: Laureano A. Gherardi – University of California, Berkeley

  Co-author: Lauren M. Hallett – University of Oregon

  Co-author: David L. Hoover – Agricultural Research Service

  Co-author: Cristy Portales-Reyes – St. Louis University
• 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM PDT

  Ecological transitions in a changing sagebrush steppe
  

  Presenting Author: Madelon F. Case – USGS

  Co-author: Kirk W. Davies – USDA Agricultural Research Service

  Co-author: Chad S. Boyd – USDA Agricultural Research Service

  Co-author: Lauren M. Hallett – University of Oregon
• 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

  Discussion