OOS 42 - Predicting ecosystem consequences of climate change from the adaptation and acclimation of key species

Organizer(s)

• RB

  Rebecca Best, n/a

  Northern Arizona University
  Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

Moderator(s)

• ES

  Elena Schaefer

  University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada

Planning successful restoration and conservation strategies in a rapidly warming world is a critical challenge in ecology and evolution that cuts across scales, from individual variation in temperature tolerance to whole-ecosystem consequences. One efficient way to predict and plan for ecosystem responses to climate change may be to integrate across these levels by focusing on key species with particularly large effects. In many ecosystems, a single or few dominant species provide a large proportion of ecosystem services or functions such as habitat formation, food provision, and nutrient cycling. Whether these species maintain their ecological contributions in the future will be determined by their ability to acclimate and/or adapt to changing conditions without disrupting their community interactions. This depends critically on (1) whether intraspecific variation within key species is determined by genetic variation, environmental responses (phenotypic plasticity), or interactions between genetics and the environment, and (2) how this intraspecific variation impacts associated communities and ecosystems. In this context, enhancing conservation success depends on answering the following questions: should restoration and conservation efforts focus on individuals of these key species that are locally adapted to warmer climates, or individuals that are able to acclimate to variable climactic conditions? What are the ecological consequences of each scenario? In this session, we bring together ecologists working to answer these questions for keystone, foundation, or dominant species in freshwater, riparian, and marine systems already responding to climate change. Speakers will compare sources of intraspecific variation and demonstrate consequences of this variation for associated communities (from microbes to invertebrates) and ecosystem processes (from productivity to nutrient cycling). Drawing from a diversity of systems and approaches, this session will illustrate the ecological and evolutionary dimensions of predicting the future functioning of key species and the systems they shape.

Presentations:

• 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM EDT

  Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in Fremont cottonwood responding to multiple climate stressors
  

  Presenting Author: Hillary F. Cooper – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Lela V. Andrews – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Jaclyn P.M. Corbin – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Iris J. Garthwaite – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Michael A. Eisenring – Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research

  Co-author: Richard L. Lindroth – Dept. of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Co-author: Kevin C. Grady – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Catherine A. Gehring, Ph.D. – Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes

  Co-author: Kevin R. Hultine – Department of Research, Conservation and Collections, Desert Botanical Garden

  Co-author: Thomas G. Whitham – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Allan J. Gerard – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Rebecca Best, n/a – Northern Arizona University
• 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM EDT

  Community consequences of plasticity in a riparian foundation species: can we predict anything when genetics and environment interact?
  

  Presenting Author: Rebecca Best, n/a – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Hillary F. Cooper – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Jaclyn P.M. Corbin – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Iris J. Garthwaite – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Arthur Keith – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Michael A. Eisenring – Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research

  Co-author: Richard L. Lindroth – Dept. of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Co-author: Kevin C. Grady – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Catherine A. Gehring, Ph.D. – Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes

  Co-author: Thomas G. Whitham – Northern Arizona University

  Co-author: Gerard J. Allan – Northern Arizona University
• 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM EDT

  The importance of intraspecific variation in zooplankton for adaptive insurance in aquatic ecosystems
  

  Presenting Author: Alison M. Derry, PhD – Université du Québec à Montréal

  Co-author: Mathilde Salamon, M.Sc. in Biology – Université du Québec à Montréal

  Co-author: Jorge Negrin-Dastis – Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  Co-author: Cristina Charette – Université du Québec à Montréal
• 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

  Intraspecific variation in plant-microbe associations in coastal marshes
  

  Presenting Author: Candice Lumibao – Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

  Co-author: Sunshine A. Van Bael – Tulane University

  Co-author: Michael Blum – University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM EDT

  Consequences of local adaptation and plasticity in eelgrass response to ocean warming
  

  Presenting Author: Katie DuBois – Bowdoin College

  Co-author: Jay Stachowicz – UC Davis

  Co-author: Susan L. Williams – UC Davis
• 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM EDT

  Disentangling genetics and environment to optimize reef restoration in a changing climate
  

  Presenting Author: Carly D. Kenkel – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Wyatt C. Million – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Emily Aguirre – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Maria Ruggeri – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Sibelle O'Donnell – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Erich Bartels – University of Southern California

  Co-author: Cory J. Krediet – Eckerd College