Interactions between multiple stressors and range shifts
Dr. Viv Tulloch
The Global Wetlands Project, Griffith University, Australia.
Dr. Chris Brown
The Global Wetlands Project, Griffith University, Australia.
Climate change is only one of a suite of stressors that species face. Natural ecosystems are being altered by other human-induced changes including deforestation, eutrophication, over-harvesting, the introduction of non-native species and various types of pollution. Species that might, in theory, be able to shift rapidly enough to keep up with climate velocity (the rate and direction that isotherms move across the landscape) may not be able to do so when facing the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors. The ability of species to shift their distributions is also often limited by various eco-physiological constraints, which could be compounded by local pressures that may either affect movement, or affect species survival if populations move into regions where human activities are more prevalent. Interactions between multiple ecosystem stressors are expected to jeopardize biological processes, functions and biodiversity, and have been recognised as a key issue for conservation and management.
This session will bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines to shine a spotlight on how interactions between stressors including climate change may impact species dynamics and distributions, and will explore tools for conservation and management given future environmental change. This session should be of interest to ecologists, fisheries scientists, economists, social scientists, conservation planners, and policy planners. We will leverage our international collaborative network; inviting speakers covering the interdisciplinary nature of climate change research from modeling of multiple-stressor interactions and management outcomes, to ecological assessments and policy making. By bringing together international experts, we will provide a platform for discussing global issues of multiple stressors.