Baseline information

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Long-term perspectives in ecological research

• Baseline information

• Information unobtainable by modern studies

• Questions/insights unlikely from modern studies

2
Themes of Vegetation Change

• Rapid population expansions

Persistence of small populations

• Individualistic species responses
• Transient biomes
• Surprises

3
TOPICS OF LECTURE

• Sources of paleoecological information

2. Vegetation responses to climate change
3. Disturbance/climate interactions
4. Is current vegetation in transition
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SOURCE
Lake and Bog Sediments
Footprint Lake, Brooks Range AK
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MUD IS BEAUTIFUL!
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POLLEN GRAINS
Insect pollinated Intricate walls
Wind pollinated air sacks
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MACROFOSSILS leaves, seeds, etc.
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charcoal
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Long-term Climate Change
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VEGETATION RESPONSE TO LONG-TERM CLIMATE CHANGE
CURRENT FOREST ZONES OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA
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TREE-LINE RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE
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Implications

• Climate change can affect treelines differently
  (even within the same region)
• Treeline species respond differently (some may be
  unaffected)

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Yahoo Lake
macrofossils
pollen
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Yahoo Lake
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Old Growth
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Gap Replacement
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Yahoo Lake leaf and charcoal record
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Implications

• Climate change affects vegetation composition and
  disturbance regimes
• Disturbances can accelerate forest response to
  climate change
• Climate change can cause unexpected forest
  communities and stand-development sequences

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Forest Hollows
Stand-level Paleoecology
4. Is current vegetation in transition?
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Small Hollow Core
Mt. St. Helens Y
no charcoal bands
charcoal bands
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MARCKWORTH FOREST
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Marckworth Forest pollen and charcoal record
Are current forests different?
What is the natural state of forest communties?
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20th Century Climate Change
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Evidence of Recent Climate Change
Little Ice Age Glacier Limit
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Medicine Bow Mountains, south-eastern
Wyoming Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii