GC13G:
Sedimentary Records of Threshold Change in Ecosystems Posters
Session ID#: 8761
Session Description:
Ecosystems are known to resist major disturbance events but also respond abruptly to small perturbations. These nonlinear changes may be reflecting the nature of the sensitivity of the system or representing the breaking down of stabilising forces and the establishment of a new system of feedbacks that entrench the system in a new stable state. Theoretically, the regime persists even after the removal of the pressure owing to the establishment of new stabilising forces. Validation of the theory of such critical transitions requires real-time examples, or long records of ecological change that are, however, rarely available. Sedimentary records have revealed abrupt shifts in response to a range of drivers over past times and provide an opportunity for model testing. However, challenges remain in attributing changes to pressure-response interactions, or regime shifts invoking changes in feedback mechanisms. Understanding the nature of abrupt ecological changes is critical for future ecosystem management.
Primary Convener: Keely Mills, British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Conveners: Peter Gell, Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, VIC, Australia and Jasmine E Saros, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
Chairs: Keely Mills, British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom and Jasmine E Saros, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
OSPA Liaison: Keely Mills, British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Cross-Listed:
Co-Sponsor(s):
Abstracts Submitted to this Session:
Marie-Eloide Perga1, Zofia Ecaterina Taranu2, Irene Gregory-Eaves3, Victor Frossard1, Zoe Thomas4, Pierre Legendre2, N John Anderson5, Peter Leavitt6 and Peter Gell7, (1)Inst Nat Recherche Agronomique, CARRTEL, Université de Savoie, Thonon-les-bains, France, (2)University of Montreal, Biological Sciences, Montreal, QC, Canada, (3)McGill University, Department of Biology, Montreal, QC, Canada, (4)University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia, (5)University College, London, United Kingdom, (6)University of Regina, Regina, Canada, (7)Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
Alistair William Robin Seddon, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway and Anson W Mackay, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Julian Spergel1, Katalina C Kimball2,3, Sarah A. Fitzpatrick1, Andrew Michelson1,4 and Jill Leonard-Pingel5, (1)University of Chicago, Geophysical Sciences, Chicago, IL, United States, (2)University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States, (3)University of Chicago, Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL, United States, (4)SUNY Maritime College, Bronx, United States, (5)Washington and Lee University, Geology Department, Lexington, VA, United States
Gavin L. Simpson, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
Jesse Clark Vermaire, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada, Zofia Ecaterina Taranu, University of Montreal, Biological Sciences, Montreal, QC, Canada, Graham K MacDonald, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Katherine Velghe, McGill University, Biology, Montreal, QC, Canada, Elena Bennett, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada and Irene Gregory-Eaves, McGill University, Department of Biology, Montreal, QC, Canada
Martin C Thoms, University of New England, Geography and Planning, Armidale, Australia
Judith Z Drexler, USGS California Water Science Center, Sacramento, CA, United States, Charles N Alpers, USGS California Water Science Center Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, United States, Leonid A Neymark, USGS, Denver, CO, United States, James B Paces, USGS, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, CO, United States and Christopher Fuller, USGS Western Regional Offices Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA, United States
Keely Mills1, Peter Gell2, Phuong Doan3, Peter Kershaw4, Merna McKenzie4, Tara Lewis4 and Jonathan James Tyler5, (1)British Geological Survey Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, (2)Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, VIC, Australia, (3)Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, Australia, (4)Monash University, School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Melbourne, Australia, (5)University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Edwige Lauture1, Cecilia M McHugh2, Frank Oliver Nitsche3 and Timothy C Kenna3, (1)Queens College CUNY, SEES, Queens, NY, United States, (2)Lamont-Doherty Earth Obs., Palisdes, United States, (3)Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States
Tiiu Koff1, Agata Marzecova2, Egert Vandel2, Annika Mikomägi2 and Egle Avi2, (1)Organization Not Listed, Washington, DC, United States, (2)Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
Peter Gell, Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, VIC, Australia and Giri Kattel, Federation University Australia, Water Research Network, Ballarat, Australia
Yan Zhao, IGSNRR Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing, China
