Forecasting semi-arid biome shifts in the Anthropocene

© 2019 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2019 New Phytologist Trust.

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:The New phytologist. - 1979. - 226(2020), 2 vom: 15. Apr., Seite 351-361
1. Verfasser: Kulmatiski, Andrew (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Yu, Kailiang, Mackay, D Scott, Holdrege, Martin C, Staver, Ann Carla, Parolari, Anthony J, Liu, Yanlan, Majumder, Sabiha, Trugman, Anna T
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2020
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:The New phytologist
Schlagworte:Journal Article carbon metabolism critical threshold early-warning signal ecohydrology ecophysiology lagged mortality machine learning niche partitioning
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:© 2019 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2019 New Phytologist Trust.
Shrub encroachment, forest decline and wildfires have caused large-scale changes in semi-arid vegetation over the past 50 years. Climate is a primary determinant of plant growth in semi-arid ecosystems, yet it remains difficult to forecast large-scale vegetation shifts (i.e. biome shifts) in response to climate change. We highlight recent advances from four conceptual perspectives that are improving forecasts of semi-arid biome shifts. Moving from small to large scales, first, tree-level models that simulate the carbon costs of drought-induced plant hydraulic failure are improving predictions of delayed-mortality responses to drought. Second, tracer-informed water flow models are improving predictions of species coexistence as a function of climate. Third, new applications of ecohydrological models are beginning to simulate small-scale water movement processes at large scales. Fourth, remotely-sensed measurements of plant traits such as relative canopy moisture are providing early-warning signals that predict forest mortality more than a year in advance. We suggest that a community of researchers using modeling approaches (e.g. machine learning) that can integrate these perspectives will rapidly improve forecasts of semi-arid biome shifts. Better forecasts can be expected to help prevent catastrophic changes in vegetation states by identifying improved monitoring approaches and by prioritizing high-risk areas for management
Beschreibung:Date Completed 14.05.2021
Date Revised 14.05.2021
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status MEDLINE
ISSN:1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.16381