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Wetlands in warm ecoregions

– Case studies  –

Hundreds, if not thousands, of recently published papers are dealing with the impact of Climate Change on freshwater ecosystems.

Here you find summaries of a few hundred papers, which we consider as most relevant.

  • Wetlands in general

    Abiotic incidators

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention) / Maurice, P.A., S.E. Cabaniss, J. Drummond &am ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention)

      Reference

      Maurice, P.A., S.E. Cabaniss, J. Drummond & E. Ito (2002): Hydrogeochemical controls on the variations in chemical characteristics of natural organic matter at a small freshwater wetland. Chemical Geology 187(1): 259-277.

      Description

      Relation of DOC to predominant water source (soil pore water or ground water discharge). Hydrology effect: attenuation of UV radiation; photoaggregation and photodegradation of organic matter. Suspended and dissolved organic matter -> UV light attenuation. Found that hydrology influences fate or organic matter, which relates to changes with climate in UV attenuation.

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention) / Carroll P. & P. Crill (1997): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention)

      Reference

      Carroll P. & P. Crill (1997): Carbon balance of a temperate poor fen. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 11(3): 349-356.

      Description

      Net ecosystem carbon exchange rates ranged from -192 to 492 mg C m-2 h-1 and the ecosystem respiration measurements were between -10 and -365 mg C m-2 h-1. Negative values represent loss of carbon from the system. Results of the carbon balance model suggest that the wetland lost an estimated 145 g C m-2 for the 9 month modelling period (April through December). The 1994 climate season was warmer (+1.15 ° C/month) and drier (-12.3 cm) than the 30 year normals.

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention) / Euliss, N.H., R.A. Gleason, A. Olness, R.L. ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention)

      Reference

      Euliss, N.H., R.A. Gleason, A. Olness, R.L. McDougal, H.R. Murkin, R.D. Robarts, R.A. Bourbonniere & B.G. Warner (2006): North American prairie wetlands are important nonforested land-based carbon storage sites. Science of the Total Environment 361(1-3): 179-188.

      Description

      Agricultural conversion has resulted in the average loss of 10.1 Mg ha-1 of soil organic carbon on over 16 million ha of wetlands in this region. Wetland restoration has potential to sequester 378 Tg of organic carbon over a 10-year period. Wetlands can sequester over twice the organic carbon as no-till cropland on only about 17% of the total land area in the region. We estimate that wetland restoration has potential to offset 2.4% of the annual fossil CO2 emission reported for North America in 1990.

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention), salinity / Waiser, M.J. (2006): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention), salinity

      Reference

      Waiser, M.J. (2006): Relationship between hydrological characteristics and dissolved organic carbon concentration and mass in northern prairie wetlands using a conservative tracer approach. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences 111: G02024.

      Description

      Saline ponds appeared to experience net seasonal removal of DOC. Possible mechanisms: infiltration to the pond margin, bacterial utilization, and photolysis. Freshwater ponds, which lost most of their water by infiltration to the pond margin, displayed less seasonal variation in DOC concentrations: relationship between DOC and chloride ion was not as strong as in the saline ponds; the slope of this relationship was always > 1, as were DOC: chloride ratios. These data indicated that although DOC was being lost to the pond margin as water infiltrated, freshwater ponds accumulated DOC seasonally. Decomposition and excretion of DOC by macrophytes, as well as by pelagic and attached phytoplankton, are the likely within pond sources of DOC here. The rapid response of these small, shallow aquatic systems to water loss make them ideal microcosms in which to study effects of climate on DOC concentrations and other water chemistry parameters.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hu ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hurst & L. Lock (2003): Regional-scale measurements of CH4 exchange from a tall tower over a mixed temperate/boreal lowland and wetland forest. Global Change Biology 9(9): 1251-1261.

      Description

      Seasonal and interannual temperature variation: Maximum soil temperatures coincide with maximum CH4 emission values. Reduced precipitation: Reduced water table levels suppressed CH4 emissions. Long-term climatic changes reducing water table may transform this landscape to reduced emission or sink for atmospheric CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Ullah, S., G.A. Breitenbeck & S.P. Faulkn ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Ullah, S., G.A. Breitenbeck & S.P. Faulkner (2005): Denitrification and N2O emission from forested and cultivated alluvial clay soil. Biogeochemistry 73(3): 499-513.

      Description

      Flooding effect: rate of N2O emissions under different % soil saturation. N2O:N2 emission ratios declined more rapidly in forested soil as saturation increased. The findings suggest that restoration of forested wetlands to reduce NO3 in surface discharge will not contribute significantly to the atmospheric burden of N2O.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2001): Modeling modern methane emissions from natural wetlands 1. Model description and results. Journal of Geophysical Reseach - Atmospheres 106(D24): 34189-34206.

      Description

      The global methane-hydrology model constitutes a tool to study temporal and spatial variations in methane emissions from natural wetlands. To investigate the response of methane emissions from natural wetlands to climate variations, a process-based model that derives methane emissions from natural wetlands as a function of soil temperature, water table, and net primary productivity is used. We calculate global annual methane emissions from wetlands to be 260 Tg yr-1. Twenty-five percent of these methane emissions originate from wetlands north of 30 °N. Only 60% of the produced methane is emitted, while the rest is reoxidized.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (2001): Are phragmites-dominated wetlands a net source or net sink of greenhouse gases? Aquatic Botany 69(2-4): 313-324.

      Description

      The balance between net CO2-assimilation and CH4 emission determines if a wetland can be regarded as a net sink or a net source of greenhouse gases. Wetlands may be regarded as a source for greenhouse gases and so increase radiative forcing if evaluated on a short time scale (decades), but as a sink for greenhouse gases and thus attenuating radiative forcing if evaluated over longer time scales (>100 years).

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): Greenhouse carbon balance of wetlands: methane emission versus carbon sequestration. Tellus Series B – Chemical and Physical Meteorology 53(5): 521-528.

      Description

      As global warming potential of methane decreases over long time horizons (100 years), our analyses suggest that the subtropical and temperate wetlands attenuate global warming. and northern wetlands may be perched on the "greenhouse compensation" point. Considering a 500-year time horizon, these wetlands can be regarded as sinks for greenhouse gas warming potential, and thus attenuate the greenhouse warming of the atmosphere.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone ( ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone (1990): Methane fluxes in wetland and forest soils, beaver ponds, and low-order streams of a temperate forest ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 95(D13): 22463-22474.

      Description

      Wetland sites acted as small sources of atmospheric methane. The forest sites were mostly atmospheric methane sinks. Open-water sites were large sources of atmospheric methane. The results of our studies suggest that methane emissions from these /"temperate-like/" ecosystems will not result in a large positive feedback that might exacerbate the rate of global climate warming.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997) ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997): Enhanced CH4 emissions from a wetland soil exposed to elevated CO2. Biogeochemistry 37(1): 77-88.

      Description

      Enhanced CO2 leads to reduced rates of transpiration. Emegent macrophytes: Growth rate higher under raised CO2. Possible enhanced CH4 emissions under raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): Peatlands and global climate change – insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands 14(3): 229-238.

      Description

      Latitude effect: CH4 emissions; Sphagnum growth rate. Photosynthesis effect: carbon emissions from peatland soils. Productivity, biomass effect: rate of growth; C emissions. Use of wetland ecosystems at different latitude to assess potential changes under climate change.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner, E. Cuevas, C. Rouland & S.S. Dhillion (1998): Global change and root function. Global Change Biology 4(7): 759-772.

      Description

      A number of possible mechanisms for root-mediated N mineralization is discussed in the light of climate change factors. Rhizovory (root consumption) may increase under global change as the balance between plant chemical defense and adapted root- consuming organisms may be modified during biome shifts in response to climate change. Root-mediated gas exchange allows oxygen to penetrate into soils and methane (CH4) to escape from wetland soils of tundra ecosystems as well as tropical rice production systems. The effect on net greenhouse gas emissions of biome shifts (fens replacing bogs) as well as of agricultural land management will depend partly on aerenchyma in roots.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Gedney, N., Cox, P.M. & C. Huntingford (2 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Gedney, N., Cox, P.M. & C. Huntingford (2004): Climate feedback from wetland methane emissions. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L20503

      Description

      In transient climate change simulations the wetland response amplifies the total anthropogenic radiative forcing at 2100 by about 3.5 - 5%. The modelled increase in global CH4 flux from wetland is comparable to the projected increase in anthropogenic CH4 emissions over the 21st century under the IS92a scenario.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (2005): Seventeen years of elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay Wetland: sustained but contrasting responses of plant growth and CO2 uptake. Global Change Biology 11(3): 369-377.

      Description

      A species response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration can continually increase when this species is under stress and declining in its natural environment. Climate changes associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration are likely to increase environmental stresses on numerous species and modify their present distribution. Our results point to an increased resilience to change under elevated Ca when plants are exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi (2004): Impacts of climate change on methane emissions from wetlands. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L21202

      Description

      Geographic distributions of wetlands: High northern latitude wetland areas expand, methane emissions triple. Doubled CO2 simulations show rise in annual average methane emission by 78% (enhanced emissions from tropical wetlands). Predicts 20% increase of global totals from natural emissions under climate change.

    • Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.

    • Soil structure, soil energy fluxes / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Soil structure, soil energy fluxes

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environmental Conservation 29(3): 308-330.

      Description

      Increased summer drying (mid-latitude continental interiors), more intensive precipitation events. Drought. A 3-4 °C climate warming is predicted to eliminate 85% of all remaining wetlands.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Pyke, C.R. (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Pyke, C.R. (2004): Habitat loss confounds climate change impacts. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2(4): 178-182.

      Description

      Case study, projection to conditions in year 2040. Spatial distributions of vernal pools, hydrology. Parallel to climate change: habitat loss due to land use change. Distributions of hydrologic regimes in future determined as much by land use as by climate change.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

  • Early warning indicators

    • Water table, drought, hydrology / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Early warning indicators
      Indicator Water table, drought, hydrology

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Water/soil temperature / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Early warning indicators
      Indicator Water/soil temperature

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.

  • Primary production: plants

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): Peatlands and global climate change – insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands 14(3): 229-238.

      Description

      Latitude effect: CH4 emissions; Sphagnum growth rate. Photosynthesis effect: carbon emissions from peatland soils. Productivity, biomass effect: rate of growth; C emissions. Use of wetland ecosystems at different latitude to assess potential changes under climate change.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner, E. Cuevas, C. Rouland & S.S. Dhillion (1998): Global change and root function. Global Change Biology 4(7): 759-772.

      Description

      A number of possible mechanisms for root-mediated N mineralization is discussed in the light of climate change factors. Rhizovory (root consumption) may increase under global change as the balance between plant chemical defense and adapted root- consuming organisms may be modified during biome shifts in response to climate change. Root-mediated gas exchange allows oxygen to penetrate into soils and methane (CH4) to escape from wetland soils of tundra ecosystems as well as tropical rice production systems. The effect on net greenhouse gas emissions of biome shifts (fens replacing bogs) as well as of agricultural land management will depend partly on aerenchyma in roots.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (2005): Seventeen years of elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay Wetland: sustained but contrasting responses of plant growth and CO2 uptake. Global Change Biology 11(3): 369-377.

      Description

      A species response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration can continually increase when this species is under stress and declining in its natural environment. Climate changes associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration are likely to increase environmental stresses on numerous species and modify their present distribution. Our results point to an increased resilience to change under elevated Ca when plants are exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & J.F. Kitchell (1992): Global change and freshwater ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23: 119-139.

      Description

      Altered riparian vegetation (herbal vegetation and trees), and altered biomass and productivity, exotic species. Effect on detrivores: Slowed decomposition. Altered aquatic communities.

    • Paludification or forest succession / Crawford, R.M.M., C.E. Jeffree & W.G. Ree ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Paludification or forest succession

      Reference

      Crawford, R.M.M., C.E. Jeffree & W.G. Rees (2003): Paludification and forest retreat in northern oceanic environments. Annals of Botany 91: 213-226.

      Description

      A southward depression of the treeline in favour of wet heaths, bogs and wetland tundra communities is observed in northern oceanic environments. Climatic warming in oceanic areas may increase the area covered by bogs and, contrary to general expectations, lead to a retreat rather than an advance in the northern limit of the boreal forest. Physiological and ecological factors may interact to inhibit forest regeneration in habitats where there is a risk of prolonged winter-flooding combined with warmer winters and cool moist summers.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Deil, U. (2005): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Deil, U. (2005): A review on habitats, plant traits and vegetation of ephemeral wetlands - a global perspective. Phytocoenologia 35(2-3): 533-705.

      Description

      Latitude effect: relations between relief features, local hydrology and climatic conditions; provision of niche; habitat type. Indicator functional groups: presence and equivalence of wetland floral species.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Lessmann J.M., H. Brix, V. Bauer, O.A. Clever ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Lessmann J.M., H. Brix, V. Bauer, O.A. Clevering &, F.A. Comin (2001): Effect of climatic gradients on the photosynthetic responses of four Phragmites australis populations. Aquatic Botany 69(2-4): 109-126.

      Description

      Emergent macrophytes Phragmites: photosynthetic performance affected by latitude; phenotypic plasticity. Plants grown in the more northerly climates appeared to be more photosynthetically limited through lower P-max values and lower phi (i) levels. The higher P-max levels in the southern climate were correlated with higher nutrient levels in the tissue of leaves. The results are discussed in relation to the prospected global climate change.

  • Secondary production - invertebrates

    • Species distribution, richness, abundance change / Eyre, M.D. (2006): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Secondary production - invertebrates
      Indicator Species distribution, richness, abundance change

      Reference

      Eyre, M.D. (2006): A strategic interpretation of beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages, biotopes, habitats and distribution, and the conservation implications. Journal of Insect Conservation 10(2): 151-160.

      Description

      Coleoptera: Productivity of exposed riverine sediment ground beetle biotopes was dependent on deposited organic matter and disturbance on the effects of water flow on site structure. With both ground beetle biotopes, the distribution of assemblages was also affected by substrate water, another abiotic driver. Productivity in aquatic beetle biotopes was a function of base-status, generally reflected by pH, whilst disturbance was mainly due to water flow and wave action.

  • Susceptibility ecosystem

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Pyke, C.R. (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Pyke, C.R. (2004): Habitat loss confounds climate change impacts. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2(4): 178-182.

      Description

      Case study, projection to conditions in year 2040. Spatial distributions of vernal pools, hydrology. Parallel to climate change: habitat loss due to land use change. Distributions of hydrologic regimes in future determined as much by land use as by climate change.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): Temperate freshwater wetlands: types, status, and threats. Environmental Conservation 29(2): 115-133.

      Description

      Temperature effect: Water abstractions. Review of a range of impacts on different wetland types. One trend is that the more industrialised countries are likely to conserve their already impacted, remaining wetlands, while nations with less industrialisation are now experiencing accelerated losses, and may continue to do so for the next several decades.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Soil type / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Soil type / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.

    • Soil type / Schwarzel, K., J. Simunek, M.Th. van Genuchte ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Schwarzel, K., J. Simunek, M.Th. van Genuchten & G. Wessolek (2006): Measurement and modeling of soil-water dynamics and evapotranspiration of drained peatland soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science-Zeitschrift Für Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde 169(6): 762-774.

      Description

      Evapotranspiration rates during dry years depended very much on upward capillary flow from the water table and hence on the soil hydraulic properties. During wet years, however, ET was controlled mostly by the evaporative demand of the atmosphere, and much less by the soil hydraulic properties.

    • Soil type / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.

  • Vertebrates

    • Birds: migration, timing, range, distribution / Johnson, W.C., B.V. Millett, T. Gilmanov, R.A ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Vertebrates
      Indicator Birds: migration, timing, range, distribution

      Reference

      Johnson, W.C., B.V. Millett, T. Gilmanov, R.A. Voldseth, G.R. Guntenspergen & D.E. Naugle (2005): Vulnerability of northern prairie wetlands to climate change. Bioscience 55(10): 863-872.

      Description

      The most productive habitat for breeding waterfowl would shift under a drier climate from the center of the PPR (the Dakotas and southeastern Saskatchewan) to the wetter eastern and northern fringes, areas currently less productive or where most wetlands have been drained. Unless these wetlands are protected and restored, there is little insurance for waterfowl against future climate warming.

    • Birds: reproductive success / Fletcher, R.J. & R.R. Koford (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type wetlands in general
      Parameter group Vertebrates
      Indicator Birds: reproductive success

      Reference

      Fletcher, R.J. & R.R. Koford (2004): Consequences of rainfall variation for breeding wetland blackbirds. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie 82(8): 1316-1325.

      Description

      Dry years: yellow-headed blackbirds, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte, 1826), an obligate wetland-breeding species: complete reproductive failure. Attributed primarily to nest predation, which was negatively correlated with water levels in wetlands. Red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus (L., 1766), a facultative wetland-breeding species: little variation in density and nest success between wet and dry years. Both species exhibited similar patterns of reduced clutch size and later nest initiation dates in dry years, measures often tied to bottom-up effects of food availability and (or) age of individuals. Yet top-down effects of nest predation had a stronger influence, because lower clutch size did not result in fewer young fledged per successful nest. Incorporating how rainfall variation can affect wetland songbird demography will be critical for understanding population and community dynamics in changing environments.


  • Riverine

    Abiotic incidators

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention) / Maurice, P.A., S.E. Cabaniss, J. Drummond &am ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention)

      Reference

      Maurice, P.A., S.E. Cabaniss, J. Drummond & E. Ito (2002): Hydrogeochemical controls on the variations in chemical characteristics of natural organic matter at a small freshwater wetland. Chemical Geology 187(1): 259-277.

      Description

      Relation of DOC to predominant water source (soil pore water or ground water discharge). Hydrology effect: attenuation of UV radiation; photoaggregation and photodegradation of organic matter. Suspended and dissolved organic matter -> UV light attenuation. Found that hydrology influences fate or organic matter, which relates to changes with climate in UV attenuation.

    • Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention), salinity / Waiser, M.J. (2006): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Carbon cycling change (DOC release/retention), salinity

      Reference

      Waiser, M.J. (2006): Relationship between hydrological characteristics and dissolved organic carbon concentration and mass in northern prairie wetlands using a conservative tracer approach. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences 111: G02024.

      Description

      Saline ponds appeared to experience net seasonal removal of DOC. Possible mechanisms: infiltration to the pond margin, bacterial utilization, and photolysis. Freshwater ponds, which lost most of their water by infiltration to the pond margin, displayed less seasonal variation in DOC concentrations: relationship between DOC and chloride ion was not as strong as in the saline ponds; the slope of this relationship was always > 1, as were DOC: chloride ratios. These data indicated that although DOC was being lost to the pond margin as water infiltrated, freshwater ponds accumulated DOC seasonally. Decomposition and excretion of DOC by macrophytes, as well as by pelagic and attached phytoplankton, are the likely within pond sources of DOC here. The rapid response of these small, shallow aquatic systems to water loss make them ideal microcosms in which to study effects of climate on DOC concentrations and other water chemistry parameters.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hu ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hurst & L. Lock (2003): Regional-scale measurements of CH4 exchange from a tall tower over a mixed temperate/boreal lowland and wetland forest. Global Change Biology 9(9): 1251-1261.

      Description

      Seasonal and interannual temperature variation: Maximum soil temperatures coincide with maximum CH4 emission values. Reduced precipitation: Reduced water table levels suppressed CH4 emissions. Long-term climatic changes reducing water table may transform this landscape to reduced emission or sink for atmospheric CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2001): Modeling modern methane emissions from natural wetlands 1. Model description and results. Journal of Geophysical Reseach - Atmospheres 106(D24): 34189-34206.

      Description

      The global methane-hydrology model constitutes a tool to study temporal and spatial variations in methane emissions from natural wetlands. To investigate the response of methane emissions from natural wetlands to climate variations, a process-based model that derives methane emissions from natural wetlands as a function of soil temperature, water table, and net primary productivity is used. We calculate global annual methane emissions from wetlands to be 260 Tg yr-1. Twenty-five percent of these methane emissions originate from wetlands north of 30 °N. Only 60% of the produced methane is emitted, while the rest is reoxidized.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (2001): Are phragmites-dominated wetlands a net source or net sink of greenhouse gases? Aquatic Botany 69(2-4): 313-324.

      Description

      The balance between net CO2-assimilation and CH4 emission determines if a wetland can be regarded as a net sink or a net source of greenhouse gases. Wetlands may be regarded as a source for greenhouse gases and so increase radiative forcing if evaluated on a short time scale (decades), but as a sink for greenhouse gases and thus attenuating radiative forcing if evaluated over longer time scales (>100 years).

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): Greenhouse carbon balance of wetlands: methane emission versus carbon sequestration. Tellus Series B – Chemical and Physical Meteorology 53(5): 521-528.

      Description

      As global warming potential of methane decreases over long time horizons (100 years), our analyses suggest that the subtropical and temperate wetlands attenuate global warming. and northern wetlands may be perched on the "greenhouse compensation" point. Considering a 500-year time horizon, these wetlands can be regarded as sinks for greenhouse gas warming potential, and thus attenuate the greenhouse warming of the atmosphere.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Pulliam, W.M. & J.L. Meyer (1992): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Pulliam, W.M. & J.L. Meyer (1992): Methane emissions from floodplain swamps of the Ogeechee River – long-term patterns and effects of climate change. Biogeochemistry 15(3): 151-174.

      Description

      Models were applied to observed climate and hydrography for 1937-1989 and to simulated altered climates. Altered climates were generated from the present-day climate by changing monthly temperatures and monthly precipitation by constant proportions, thus altering long-term averages and preserving year-to-year variation. In the altered climate simulations, methane emissions were very sensitive to changes in precipitation amounts, with a 20% decrease in rainfall resulting in 30-43% declines in methane emissions. Hydrologic impacts of changes in evapotranspiration rates were more important than direct temperature effects on methane production.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone ( ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone (1990): Methane fluxes in wetland and forest soils, beaver ponds, and low-order streams of a temperate forest ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 95(D13): 22463-22474.

      Description

      Wetland sites acted as small sources of atmospheric methane. The forest sites were mostly atmospheric methane sinks. Open-water sites were large sources of atmospheric methane. The results of our studies suggest that methane emissions from these /"temperate-like/" ecosystems will not result in a large positive feedback that might exacerbate the rate of global climate warming.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997) ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997): Enhanced CH4 emissions from a wetland soil exposed to elevated CO2. Biogeochemistry 37(1): 77-88.

      Description

      Enhanced CO2 leads to reduced rates of transpiration. Emegent macrophytes: Growth rate higher under raised CO2. Possible enhanced CH4 emissions under raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): Peatlands and global climate change – insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands 14(3): 229-238.

      Description

      Latitude effect: CH4 emissions; Sphagnum growth rate. Photosynthesis effect: carbon emissions from peatland soils. Productivity, biomass effect: rate of growth; C emissions. Use of wetland ecosystems at different latitude to assess potential changes under climate change.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner, E. Cuevas, C. Rouland & S.S. Dhillion (1998): Global change and root function. Global Change Biology 4(7): 759-772.

      Description

      A number of possible mechanisms for root-mediated N mineralization is discussed in the light of climate change factors. Rhizovory (root consumption) may increase under global change as the balance between plant chemical defense and adapted root- consuming organisms may be modified during biome shifts in response to climate change. Root-mediated gas exchange allows oxygen to penetrate into soils and methane (CH4) to escape from wetland soils of tundra ecosystems as well as tropical rice production systems. The effect on net greenhouse gas emissions of biome shifts (fens replacing bogs) as well as of agricultural land management will depend partly on aerenchyma in roots.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Gedney, N., Cox, P.M. & C. Huntingford (2 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Gedney, N., Cox, P.M. & C. Huntingford (2004): Climate feedback from wetland methane emissions. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L20503

      Description

      In transient climate change simulations the wetland response amplifies the total anthropogenic radiative forcing at 2100 by about 3.5 - 5%. The modelled increase in global CH4 flux from wetland is comparable to the projected increase in anthropogenic CH4 emissions over the 21st century under the IS92a scenario.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (2005): Seventeen years of elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay Wetland: sustained but contrasting responses of plant growth and CO2 uptake. Global Change Biology 11(3): 369-377.

      Description

      A species response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration can continually increase when this species is under stress and declining in its natural environment. Climate changes associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration are likely to increase environmental stresses on numerous species and modify their present distribution. Our results point to an increased resilience to change under elevated Ca when plants are exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi (2004): Impacts of climate change on methane emissions from wetlands. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L21202

      Description

      Geographic distributions of wetlands: High northern latitude wetland areas expand, methane emissions triple. Doubled CO2 simulations show rise in annual average methane emission by 78% (enhanced emissions from tropical wetlands). Predicts 20% increase of global totals from natural emissions under climate change.

    • Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.

    • Soil structure, soil energy fluxes / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Soil structure, soil energy fluxes

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environmental Conservation 29(3): 308-330.

      Description

      Increased summer drying (mid-latitude continental interiors), more intensive precipitation events. Drought. A 3-4 °C climate warming is predicted to eliminate 85% of all remaining wetlands.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

  • Early warning indicators

    • Water table, drought, hydrology / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Early warning indicators
      Indicator Water table, drought, hydrology

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Water/soil temperature / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Early warning indicators
      Indicator Water/soil temperature

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.

  • Primary production: plants

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      van Noordwijk, M., P. Martikainen, P. Bottner, E. Cuevas, C. Rouland & S.S. Dhillion (1998): Global change and root function. Global Change Biology 4(7): 759-772.

      Description

      A number of possible mechanisms for root-mediated N mineralization is discussed in the light of climate change factors. Rhizovory (root consumption) may increase under global change as the balance between plant chemical defense and adapted root- consuming organisms may be modified during biome shifts in response to climate change. Root-mediated gas exchange allows oxygen to penetrate into soils and methane (CH4) to escape from wetland soils of tundra ecosystems as well as tropical rice production systems. The effect on net greenhouse gas emissions of biome shifts (fens replacing bogs) as well as of agricultural land management will depend partly on aerenchyma in roots.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Rasse, D.P., G. Peresta & P.G. Drake (2005): Seventeen years of elevated CO2 exposure in a Chesapeake Bay Wetland: sustained but contrasting responses of plant growth and CO2 uptake. Global Change Biology 11(3): 369-377.

      Description

      A species response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration can continually increase when this species is under stress and declining in its natural environment. Climate changes associated with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration are likely to increase environmental stresses on numerous species and modify their present distribution. Our results point to an increased resilience to change under elevated Ca when plants are exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change, species distribution / Middleton, B.A. & K.L. McKee (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change, species distribution

      Reference

      Middleton, B.A. & K.L. McKee (2004): Use of a latitudinal gradient in bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) production to examine controls of biotic boundaries and potential responses to environmental change. Global Ecology and Biogeography 13: 247-258.

      Description

      Changing temperature with latitudinal gradient determins distribution of Taxodium distichum. Litterfall rates follow bell shaped curve, production more limited at distributional boundaries. Future changes in global temperature would affect litter production in nonlinear manner. Local changes in hydrology may interact with climate change further and reduce litter production particularly at lower latitudes.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & J.F. Kitchell (1992): Global change and freshwater ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23: 119-139.

      Description

      Altered riparian vegetation (herbal vegetation and trees), and altered biomass and productivity, exotic species. Effect on detrivores: Slowed decomposition. Altered aquatic communities.

    • Paludification or forest succession / Crawford, R.M.M., C.E. Jeffree & W.G. Ree ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Paludification or forest succession

      Reference

      Crawford, R.M.M., C.E. Jeffree & W.G. Rees (2003): Paludification and forest retreat in northern oceanic environments. Annals of Botany 91: 213-226.

      Description

      A southward depression of the treeline in favour of wet heaths, bogs and wetland tundra communities is observed in northern oceanic environments. Climatic warming in oceanic areas may increase the area covered by bogs and, contrary to general expectations, lead to a retreat rather than an advance in the northern limit of the boreal forest. Physiological and ecological factors may interact to inhibit forest regeneration in habitats where there is a risk of prolonged winter-flooding combined with warmer winters and cool moist summers.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Deil, U. (2005): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Deil, U. (2005): A review on habitats, plant traits and vegetation of ephemeral wetlands - a global perspective. Phytocoenologia 35(2-3): 533-705.

      Description

      Latitude effect: relations between relief features, local hydrology and climatic conditions; provision of niche; habitat type. Indicator functional groups: presence and equivalence of wetland floral species.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Lessmann J.M., H. Brix, V. Bauer, O.A. Clever ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Lessmann J.M., H. Brix, V. Bauer, O.A. Clevering &, F.A. Comin (2001): Effect of climatic gradients on the photosynthetic responses of four Phragmites australis populations. Aquatic Botany 69(2-4): 109-126.

      Description

      Emergent macrophytes Phragmites: photosynthetic performance affected by latitude; phenotypic plasticity. Plants grown in the more northerly climates appeared to be more photosynthetically limited through lower P-max values and lower phi (i) levels. The higher P-max levels in the southern climate were correlated with higher nutrient levels in the tissue of leaves. The results are discussed in relation to the prospected global climate change.

  • Secondary production - fish

    • Fish distribution, richness, abundance change / Beechie T., E. Buhle, M. Ruckelshaus, A. Full ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Secondary production - fish
      Indicator Fish distribution, richness, abundance change

      Reference

      Beechie T., E. Buhle, M. Ruckelshaus, A. Fullerton & L. Holsinger (2006): Hydrologic regime and the conservation of salmon life history diversity. Biological Conservation 130(4): 560-572.

      Description

      Temperature effect: changed proportions of snow-melt and rainwater. Land use changes: barrier effects of dams. Assesses optimal upstream conditions for salmon (spawning and juveniles) in relation to snow melt and presence of dams. Review on habitat variability and salmon recruitment success.

  • Secondary production - invertebrates

    • Species distribution, richness, abundance change / Eyre, M.D. (2006): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Secondary production - invertebrates
      Indicator Species distribution, richness, abundance change

      Reference

      Eyre, M.D. (2006): A strategic interpretation of beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages, biotopes, habitats and distribution, and the conservation implications. Journal of Insect Conservation 10(2): 151-160.

      Description

      Coleoptera: Productivity of exposed riverine sediment ground beetle biotopes was dependent on deposited organic matter and disturbance on the effects of water flow on site structure. With both ground beetle biotopes, the distribution of assemblages was also affected by substrate water, another abiotic driver. Productivity in aquatic beetle biotopes was a function of base-status, generally reflected by pH, whilst disturbance was mainly due to water flow and wave action.

  • Susceptibility ecosystem

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): Temperate freshwater wetlands: types, status, and threats. Environmental Conservation 29(2): 115-133.

      Description

      Temperature effect: Water abstractions. Review of a range of impacts on different wetland types. One trend is that the more industrialised countries are likely to conserve their already impacted, remaining wetlands, while nations with less industrialisation are now experiencing accelerated losses, and may continue to do so for the next several decades.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Beechie T., E. Buhle, M. Ruckelshaus, A. Full ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Beechie T., E. Buhle, M. Ruckelshaus, A. Fullerton & L. Holsinger (2006): Hydrologic regime and the conservation of salmon life history diversity. Biological Conservation 130(4): 560-572.

      Description

      Temperature effect: changed proportions of snow-melt and rainwater. Land use changes: barrier effects of dams. Assesses optimal upstream conditions for salmon (spawning and juveniles) in relation to snow melt and presence of dams. Review on habitat variability and salmon recruitment success.

    • Soil type / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Soil type / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.

    • Soil type / Schwarzel, K., J. Simunek, M.Th. van Genuchte ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Schwarzel, K., J. Simunek, M.Th. van Genuchten & G. Wessolek (2006): Measurement and modeling of soil-water dynamics and evapotranspiration of drained peatland soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science-Zeitschrift Für Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde 169(6): 762-774.

      Description

      Evapotranspiration rates during dry years depended very much on upward capillary flow from the water table and hence on the soil hydraulic properties. During wet years, however, ET was controlled mostly by the evaporative demand of the atmosphere, and much less by the soil hydraulic properties.

    • Soil type / Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Raf ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type riverine
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Fenner, N., D.J. Dowrick, M.A. Lock, C.R. Rafarel & C. Freeman (2006): A novel approach to studying the effects of temperature on soil biogeochemistry using a thermal gradient bar. Soil Use and Management 22(3): 267-273.

      Description

      Peat: no significant emission of CH4 at T< 6 °C, marked CH4 release increase at T >6 to <15 °C (Q(10) = 2.5) with emissions being similar between 15 and 18 °C. Forest soil: CH4 emissions did not respond to warming. Nitrate availability in the peat decreased by 90% between 2 and 18 °C (P < 0.01), whereas concentrations in the forest soil did not respond. Sulphate availability in the peat decreased significantly with warming (60%, P < 0.01), while the forest soil showed the opposite response (a 30% increase, P < 0.01). Thermal responses will differ depending on land use and soil type.


  • Lakeside

    Abiotic incidators

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hu ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Werner, C., K. Davis, P. Bakwin, C. Yi, D. Hurst & L. Lock (2003): Regional-scale measurements of CH4 exchange from a tall tower over a mixed temperate/boreal lowland and wetland forest. Global Change Biology 9(9): 1251-1261.

      Description

      Seasonal and interannual temperature variation: Maximum soil temperatures coincide with maximum CH4 emission values. Reduced precipitation: Reduced water table levels suppressed CH4 emissions. Long-term climatic changes reducing water table may transform this landscape to reduced emission or sink for atmospheric CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Walter, B.P., M. Heimann & E. Matthews (2001): Modeling modern methane emissions from natural wetlands 1. Model description and results. Journal of Geophysical Reseach - Atmospheres 106(D24): 34189-34206.

      Description

      The global methane-hydrology model constitutes a tool to study temporal and spatial variations in methane emissions from natural wetlands. To investigate the response of methane emissions from natural wetlands to climate variations, a process-based model that derives methane emissions from natural wetlands as a function of soil temperature, water table, and net primary productivity is used. We calculate global annual methane emissions from wetlands to be 260 Tg yr-1. Twenty-five percent of these methane emissions originate from wetlands north of 30 °N. Only 60% of the produced methane is emitted, while the rest is reoxidized.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (200 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Brix, H., B.K. Sorrell & B. Lorenzen (2001): Are phragmites-dominated wetlands a net source or net sink of greenhouse gases? Aquatic Botany 69(2-4): 313-324.

      Description

      The balance between net CO2-assimilation and CH4 emission determines if a wetland can be regarded as a net sink or a net source of greenhouse gases. Wetlands may be regarded as a source for greenhouse gases and so increase radiative forcing if evaluated on a short time scale (decades), but as a sink for greenhouse gases and thus attenuating radiative forcing if evaluated over longer time scales (>100 years).

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Whiting, G.J. & J.P. Chanton (2001): Greenhouse carbon balance of wetlands: methane emission versus carbon sequestration. Tellus Series B – Chemical and Physical Meteorology 53(5): 521-528.

      Description

      As global warming potential of methane decreases over long time horizons (100 years), our analyses suggest that the subtropical and temperate wetlands attenuate global warming. and northern wetlands may be perched on the "greenhouse compensation" point. Considering a 500-year time horizon, these wetlands can be regarded as sinks for greenhouse gas warming potential, and thus attenuate the greenhouse warming of the atmosphere.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone ( ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Yavitt, J.B., G.E. Lang & A.J. Sexstone (1990): Methane fluxes in wetland and forest soils, beaver ponds, and low-order streams of a temperate forest ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 95(D13): 22463-22474.

      Description

      Wetland sites acted as small sources of atmospheric methane. The forest sites were mostly atmospheric methane sinks. Open-water sites were large sources of atmospheric methane. The results of our studies suggest that methane emissions from these /"temperate-like/" ecosystems will not result in a large positive feedback that might exacerbate the rate of global climate warming.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997) ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Megonigal, J.P. & W.H. Schlesinger (1997): Enhanced CH4 emissions from a wetland soil exposed to elevated CO2. Biogeochemistry 37(1): 77-88.

      Description

      Enhanced CO2 leads to reduced rates of transpiration. Emegent macrophytes: Growth rate higher under raised CO2. Possible enhanced CH4 emissions under raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission / Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission

      Reference

      Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): Peatlands and global climate change – insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands 14(3): 229-238.

      Description

      Latitude effect: CH4 emissions; Sphagnum growth rate. Photosynthesis effect: carbon emissions from peatland soils. Productivity, biomass effect: rate of growth; C emissions. Use of wetland ecosystems at different latitude to assess potential changes under climate change.

    • N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator N-/C-flux, greenhouse gases emission, wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Shindell, D.T., B.P. Walter & G. Faluvegi (2004): Impacts of climate change on methane emissions from wetlands. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L21202

      Description

      Geographic distributions of wetlands: High northern latitude wetland areas expand, methane emissions triple. Doubled CO2 simulations show rise in annual average methane emission by 78% (enhanced emissions from tropical wetlands). Predicts 20% increase of global totals from natural emissions under climate change.

    • Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Nutrients: decomposition, mineralisation, oxidation, release to lakes, rivers, eutrophication

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.

    • Soil structure, soil energy fluxes / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Soil structure, soil energy fluxes

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Tockner, K. & J.A. Stanford (2002): Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environmental Conservation 29(3): 308-330.

      Description

      Increased summer drying (mid-latitude continental interiors), more intensive precipitation events. Drought. A 3-4 °C climate warming is predicted to eliminate 85% of all remaining wetlands.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Dimitriou, E. & I. Zacharias (2005): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Dimitriou, E. & I. Zacharias (2005): Assessing the impacts of hydrometeorologic and land use changes in a large freshwater body. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 14(11): 1036-1045.

      Description

      Drought: Irrigation demands, decrease of wetland area. The results indicate that the observed decrease in the wetland area depends mainly on human activities and, therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and implement an integrated environmental management plan in the area.

    • Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Abiotic incidators
      Indicator Wetland extension, connectivity, functioning

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

  • Early warning indicators

    • Water table, drought, hydrology / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Early warning indicators
      Indicator Water table, drought, hydrology

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

  • Primary production: plants

    • Community change, diversity change / Mulhouse, J.M., D. De Steven, R.F. Lide & ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Community change, diversity change

      Reference

      Mulhouse, J.M., D. De Steven, R.F. Lide & R.R. Sharitz (2005): Effects of dominant species on vegetation change in Carolina bay wetlands following a multi-year drought. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 132(3): 411-420.

      Description

      Compared to grass/sedge marshes, pond/meadow wetlands acquired more species, particularly non-wetland species, during the drought. Pond/meadow wetlands: greater increases in the abundances of species that require unflooded conditions to establish. Prior to the drought, all wetlands were ponded almost continuously, but during drought the pond/meadow wetlands had shorter and more variable hydroperiods than the grass/sedge marshes. Thus, vegetation change may be partly confounded with hydrologic conditions that provide greater opportunities for species recruitment in pond/meadow bays. The results suggest that Carolina bay vegetation dynamics may differ as a function of dominant vegetation and climate-driven variation in wetland hydrologic condition.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Wieder R.K. & J.B. Yavitt (1994): Peatlands and global climate change – insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands 14(3): 229-238.

      Description

      Latitude effect: CH4 emissions; Sphagnum growth rate. Photosynthesis effect: carbon emissions from peatland soils. Productivity, biomass effect: rate of growth; C emissions. Use of wetland ecosystems at different latitude to assess potential changes under climate change.

    • Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change, species distribution / Middleton, B.A. & K.L. McKee (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change, species distribution

      Reference

      Middleton, B.A. & K.L. McKee (2004): Use of a latitudinal gradient in bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) production to examine controls of biotic boundaries and potential responses to environmental change. Global Ecology and Biogeography 13: 247-258.

      Description

      Changing temperature with latitudinal gradient determins distribution of Taxodium distichum. Litterfall rates follow bell shaped curve, production more limited at distributional boundaries. Future changes in global temperature would affect litter production in nonlinear manner. Local changes in hydrology may interact with climate change further and reduce litter production particularly at lower latitudes.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Davidson, E.A. & P. Artaxo (2004): Globally significant changes in biological processes of the Amazon Basin: results of the large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment. Global Change Biology 10: 519-529.

      Description

      Abiotic incidators:Reduced precipitation. Drought, reduced evapo-transpiration, increased fire susceptability, decreased leaf area, feedback on evapo-transpiration. Change in ratio of annual sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (intact forest) to annual sources of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide (wetlands). Amazonian forest-river system currently nearly balanced in terms of the net 100-year global warming potential of these gases.

      Primary Production: Plants Drought: Proportional loss of native species and influx of invasives; move towards dicotyledonous species. Drought and fire may increase in frequency and severity because of global warming. Two years after burns and transplantations upslope, dicotyledonous species' density and richness increased 3- to 36-fold on soil blocks moved upslope to the driest vegetation zone relative to unmoved soil blocks. Eurasian species, Sonchus arvensis and Cirsium arvense, increased 5- to 13-fold after drought treatment. Fire, particularly the deepest burn, reduced graminoid density and height up to 90%. It is hypothesized that, under climate change conditions, Eurasian species might dominate early successional communities in mid-boreal wetlands.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change / Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Loss of native species, exotic species increase, riparian vegetation change, growth rate, productivity, root density, decomposition change

      Reference

      Carpenter, S.R., S.G. Fisher, N.B. Grimm & J.F. Kitchell (1992): Global change and freshwater ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23: 119-139.

      Description

      Altered riparian vegetation (herbal vegetation and trees), and altered biomass and productivity, exotic species. Effect on detrivores: Slowed decomposition. Altered aquatic communities.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (20 ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Thuiller, W., S. Lavorel & M.B Araujo (2005): Niche properties and geographical extent as predictors of species sensitivity to climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 14(4): 347-357.

      Description

      Niche properties are a good indicator of species sensitivities to climate change. Review of temperature effects on niche as indicators of potential species survival. Macrophytes: emissons of CH4. Direct link between coverage of macrophytes and ebullition of CH4.

    • Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties / Deil, U. (2005): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Primary production: plants
      Indicator Sensitivity depending on plant traits and niche properties

      Reference

      Deil, U. (2005): A review on habitats, plant traits and vegetation of ephemeral wetlands - a global perspective. Phytocoenologia 35(2-3): 533-705.

      Description

      Latitude effect: relations between relief features, local hydrology and climatic conditions; provision of niche; habitat type. Indicator functional groups: presence and equivalence of wetland floral species.

  • Susceptibility ecosystem

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Brinson, M.M. & A.I. Malvarez (2002): Temperate freshwater wetlands: types, status, and threats. Environmental Conservation 29(2): 115-133.

      Description

      Temperature effect: Water abstractions. Review of a range of impacts on different wetland types. One trend is that the more industrialised countries are likely to conserve their already impacted, remaining wetlands, while nations with less industrialisation are now experiencing accelerated losses, and may continue to do so for the next several decades.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Dimitriou, E. & I. Zacharias (2005): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Dimitriou, E. & I. Zacharias (2005): Assessing the impacts of hydrometeorologic and land use changes in a large freshwater body. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 14(11): 1036-1045.

      Description

      Drought: Irrigation demands, decrease of wetland area. The results indicate that the observed decrease in the wetland area depends mainly on human activities and, therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and implement an integrated environmental management plan in the area.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Ja ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Ogden, J.C., S.M. Davis, T.K. Barnes, K.J. Jacobs & J.H. Gentile (2005): Total system conceptual ecological model. Wetlands 25(4): 955-979.

      Description

      Three external drivers create stressors: 1. water management; 2. land-use management and development; 3. climate change and sea-level rise. Stressors include: loss of spatial extent; loss of connectivity; altered geomorphology and topography; Altered volume, timing, and distribution of regional hydropatterns; input of nutrients; altered fire patterns; and introduction and spread of exotic plants and animals. Ecological effects relate to hydroperiod and depth patterns, sheet flow, salinity gradients, nutrient status and dynamics, fire patterns, habitat availability, and marsh aquatic fauna prey bases. Key ecological indicators are identified.

    • Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase) / Shirley, L.J. & L.L. Battaglia (2006): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Land use (e.g. water abstraction increase)

      Reference

      Shirley, L.J. & L.L. Battaglia (2006): Assessing vegetation change in coastal landscapes of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands 26(4): 1057-1070.

      Description

      1050-90: prevalent marsh loss. Rate and type of marsh conversion to other land-cover types varied: converted to open water along shorelines and in internal patches, the majority: scrub-shrub encroachment. Main trend in the Coastal Plain: replacement of agricultural areas by forest. The buffers experienced an increase in anthropogenically-modified categories, except for a decrease in agricultural areas. Landward and seaward losses, marsh areas are especially vulnerable. It appears that marshes are not keeping pace with the spatial shifts in the aquatic to terrestrial transition as sea level rises, although results in the Coastal Plain are less conclusive because major land-use changes dominate the trends.

    • Soil type / Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Zeeb, P.J. & H.F. Hemond (1998): Hydrologic response of a wetland to changing moisture conditions: Modeling effects of soil heterogeneity. Climatic Change 40(2): 211-227.

      Description

      Precipitation: Wetland hydrology and flooding: Heterogeneity of soil type has effect on hydraulic flow, flow properties, hydraulic conductivity. Method for mapping soil heterogeneity and its implications for hydraulic conductance.

    • Soil type / Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor ...

      Climate Region humid warm
      Ecosystem type lakeside
      Parameter group Susceptibility ecosystem
      Indicator Soil type

      Reference

      Bridgham, S.D., K. Updegraff & J. Pastor (1998): Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization in northern wetlands. Ecology 79(5): 1545-1561.

      Description

      Mineralization of C, N, and P differed significantly among wetland types. On a volumetric basis, C and N mineralization increased in a predictable manner across the ombrotrophic-minerotrophic gradient, largely due to increasing soil bulk density, however, P mineralization per cubic centimeter remained relatively high in the bogs. Large differences in mineralization rates in northern wetland communities demonstrate that climate change models should not consider these areas as homogeneous entities. The common perception that more ombrotrophic sites are inherently more nutrient deficient needs to be reassessed.



Climate Change and Freshwater
Online: http://www.climate-and-freshwater.info/wetlands-warm-ecoregions/case-studies/
Date: 2012/02/05
© 2012 University of Duisburg-Essen | Institute of Biology, Department of Applied Zoology / Hydrobiology – All rights reserved.