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Land conversion, climate change and species invasions are contributing to the widespread emergence of novel ecosystems, which demand a shift in how we think about traditional approaches to conservation, restoration and environmental management. They are novel because they exist without historical precedents and are self-sustaining. Traditional approaches emphasizing native species and historical continuity are challenged by novel ecosystems that deliver critical ecosystems services or are simply immune to practical restorative efforts. Some fear that, by raising the issue of novel ecosystems, we are simply paving the way for a more laissez-faire attitude to conservation and restoration. Regardless of the range of views and perceptions about novel ecosystems, their existence is becoming ever more obvious and prevalent in today's rapidly changing world. In this first comprehensive volume to look at the ecological, social, cultural, ethical and policy dimensions of novel ecosystems, the authors argue these altered systems are overdue for careful analysis and that we need to figure out how to intervene in them responsibly. This book brings together researchers from a range of disciplines together with practitioners and policy makers to explore the questions surrounding novel ecosystems. It includes chapters on key concepts and methodologies for deciding when and how to intervene in systems, as well as a rich collection of case studies and perspective pieces. It will be a valuable resource for researchers, managers and policy makers interested in the question of how humanity manages and restores ecosystems in a rapidly changing world. A companion website with additional resources is available at www.wiley.com/go/hobbs/ecosystems [http://www.wiley.com/go/hobbs/ecosystems]

Climate change is currently reshaping Arctic ecosystems, with highly uncertain future outcomes. In the best-case scenario, warming could lead to the replacement of Arctic ecosystems by more diverse and productive sub-Arctic or temperate ecosystems, which may serve as net carbon sinks. However, recent research indicates that environmental disturbances caused by rapid warming could transform these ecosystems into heavily perturbed and degraded states, resulting in a net release of carbon to the atmosphere. The eventual outcome depends on the scale and pace of environmental changes, as well as the extent of other human disturbances in the region. To navigate these changes, we argue that it is crucial for Arctic nations to collaborate in monitoring and ecosystem-based management while developing policy-relevant pathways and scenarios to guide adaptation in a rapidly changing Arctic.

Enormous ecological losses and profound planetary transformations mean that ours is a time to grieve beyond the human. Yet, Joshua Trey Barnett argues in this eloquent and urgent book, our capacity to grieve for more-than-human others is neither natural nor inevitable. Weaving together personal narratives, theoretical meditations, and insightful readings of cultural artifacts, he suggests that ecological grief is best understood as a rhetorical achievement. As a collection of worldmaking practices, rhetoric makes things matter, bestows value, directs attention, generates knowledge, and foments feelings. By dwelling on three rhetorical practices—naming, archiving, and making visible—Barnett shows how they prepare us to grieve past, present, and future ecological losses. Simultaneously diagnostic and prescriptive, this book reveals rhetorical practices that set our ecological grief into motion and illuminates pathways to more connected, caring earthly coexistence.

This comprehensive text is a major synthesis on ecological change in the Gulf of Alaska. It encompasses the structural and annual changes, forces of change, long-ecological changes in the atmosphere and ocean, plankton, fish, birds and mammals, and the effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. With 5 major sections, Long-term Ecological Change in the Northern Gulf of Alaska first describes the physical features, the atmosphere and physical oceanography, the annual production cycle, the forage base for higher animals and trophic transfer, and the adaptations for survival in this changing environment for 9 portal species. Then, the major forces of change are introduced: climate, geophysics, fisheries and harvesting, species interactions, disease and contaminants. Next, the long-term records of change in physical factors and biological populations are presented, as well as the potential reasons for the biological changes. Following is the history of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its long-term effects. And, finally, the emergent properties of the ecosystem are discussed and an attempt is made to weigh the importance of the major forcing factors in terms of their temporal and spatial scales of influence. * Examines important data on long-term change in the ecosystem and the forcing factors that are responsible for it * Provides an account of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill with emphasis on the long-term effects * Describes the effects of climate change, geophysical change, species interactions, harvesting, disease, the 1989 oil spill, and marine contaminants on key populations of marine organisms

What is a natural forest disturbance? How well do we understand natural forest disturbances and how might we emulate them in forest management? What role does emulation play in forest management? Representing a range of geographic perspectives from across Canada and the United States, this book looks at the escalating public debate on the viability of natural disturbance emulation for sustaining forest landscapes from the perspective of policymakers, forestry professionals, academics, and conservationists. This book provides a scientific foundation for justifying the use of and a solid framework for examining the ambiguities inherent in emulating natural forest landscape disturbance. It acknowledges the divergent expectations that practitioners face and offers a balanced view of the promises and challenges associated with applying this emerging forest management paradigm.

The media coverage of natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, floods, ice storms, etc.) indicates the prevalence of natural disasters in most, if not all, ecosystems. In order for scientists to study, understand, and ultimately predict how these disturbances affect ecosystems, it is necessary for them to know more about the physical processes involved in these disturbances and to learn how to couple these processes to the ecological systems. Essential for all ecologists, forest researchers, and conservation biologists, this book includes chapters on the disturbance processes, how the disturbance causes necrosis or death to individuals, and their effects on population or community processes. In this book, physical scientists who study disturbances provide an introduction to the physical disturbance processes, while ecologists relate this information to the way the vegetation responds to the disturbances. This reference is also key for all researchers hydrology, geomorphology, and environmental management. * Includes coverage on six different disturbance processes: Wind, Gravity, Geomorphic, Hydrologic, Combustion, and Biotic* Provides a clear explanation of how some of the physical processes of disturbance affect plant ecological processes* Offers ecologists an up-to-date understanding of the physical processes and allows them to predict future affects of disturbances* Unites two related fields by linking the disturbance processes and ecological responses* Presents physical scientists with ideas of how they might usefully apply their knowledge to advance understanding of ecological systems

The ability of small-scale experiments to predict dynamics and patterns observed at larger scales is an important issue in ecology. In this paper, we describe responses of benthic, trout stream communities to replicated, whole-ecosystem perturbations resulting from pathogen-induced reductions in populations of a dominant grazer, the cadisfly Glossosoma nigrior. Previous small-scale experiments suggested that Glossosoma had strong competitive effects on other grazers (through exploitation) and small-bodied filter-feeders (through interference). Glossosoma populations collapsed in a number of Michigan trout streams since the late 1980s and have been maintained at low levels by recurrent pathogen outbreaks. Here we address the effects on periphyton, grazers, and filter-feeders of parasite-induced Glossosoma reductions in six streams for which considerable pre- and post-collapse data are available, and we compare the results of this large-scale perturbation to responses predicted from a small-scale experiment that had been previously conducted in one of these streams. Periphyton and most grazers and filter-feeders showed marked increases in abundance following reduction in Glossosoma populations. Several grazers that were rare or absent prior to Glossosoma collapse have established sizable populations, suggesting that they had been excluded by competition with Glossosoma. The small-scale experiment successfully predicted the direction of response of most taxa to whole-stream reductions in Glossosoma abundance, but it tended to underestimate the extent and magnitude of Glossosoma's effects in the community. In these systems, observations at larger spatial and temporal scales have been essential to developing a clearer understanding of the mechanisms structuring communities.

Can people remain healthy in a world that is sick? Many ecological disasters can be directly traced to careless exploitation of the environment, with human beings as first perpetrator and then victim. Our health closely mirrors the health of our surroundings: this is the basis of the Ecohealth approach. It recognizes the inextricable links between humans and their biophysical, social, and economic environments, and that these links are reflected in the population's state of health. Reconciling an ecosystem's health with the health of its human inhabitants is a new area of research, requiring input from scientists, community and interest groups, and decision-makers. This book describes this new approach, providing lessons and recommendations from various IDRC-supported research activities. It demonstrates how decision-makers, in particular, can use the Ecohealth approach to formulate policies and solutions that are both immediately visible and sustainable over the long term.

When organisms are deliberately or accidentally introduced into a new ecosystem a biological invasion may take place. These so-called ‘invasive species’ may establish, spread and ecologically alter the invaded community. Biological invasions by animals, plants, pathogens or vectors are one of the greatest environmental and economic threats and, along with habitat destruction, a leading cause of global biodiversity loss. In this book, more than 50 worldwide invasion scientists cover our current understanding of biological invasions, its impacts, patterns and mechanisms in both aquatic and terrestrial systems.

Intraspecific niche differentiation can contribute to population persistence in changing environments. Following declines in large predatory fish, eutrophication, and climate change, there has been a major increase in the abundance of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Baltic Sea. Two morphotype groups with different levels of body armor—completely plated and incompletely plated—are common in coastal Baltic Sea habitats. The morphotypes are similar in shape, size, and other morphological characteristics and live as one apparently intermixed population. Variation in resource use between the groups could indicate a degree of niche segregation that could aid population persistence in the face of further environmental change. To assess whether morphotypes exhibit niche segregation associated with resource and/or habitat exploitation and predator avoidance, we conducted a field survey of stickleback morphotypes, and biotic and abiotic ecosystem structure, in two habitat types within shallow coastal bays in the Baltic Sea: deeper central waters and shallow near‐shore waters. In the deeper waters, the proportion of completely plated stickleback was greater in habitats with greater biomass of two piscivorous fish: perch (Perca fluviatilis) and pike (Esox lucius). In the shallow waters, the proportion of completely plated stickleback was greater in habitats with greater coverage of habitat‐forming vegetation. Our results suggest niche segregation between morphotypes, which may contribute to the continued success of stickleback in coastal Baltic Sea habitats. Following declines in large predatory fish, eutrophication, and climate change, there has been a major increase in the abundance of two morphotype groups of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Baltic Sea. In deeper coastal waters, the proportion of completely plated stickleback was greater in habitats with greater biomass of two piscivorous fish: perch (Perca fluviatilis) and pike (Esox lucius) and in shallow coastal waters. The proportion of completely plated stickleback was greater in habitats with greater percent coverage of habitat‐forming vegetation. Our results suggest niche segregation between morphotypes, which may contribute to the continued success of stickleback in coastal Baltic Sea habitats.