[MCN] Science special issue: Ecosystem Earth: Introduction and 4 review articles

[Lance Olsen]

Science  21 Apr 2017:
Vol. 356, Issue 6335, pp. 258-259
DOI: 10.1126/science.356.6335.258
INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL ISSUE
Ecosystem Earth
Sacha Vignieri, Julia Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink et al

These critically endangered animals, part of the Photo Ark project, are just a tiny fraction of the millions of species that share the planet. Human activities are dominating consumption of planetary resources, jeopardizing the functioning of the ecosystem that we call Earth.
PHOTOS: JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
An ecosystem consists of communities of interacting species and the physical environment on which they depend. Although it is well accepted that Earth consists of many different ecosystems, human societies much less readily recognize that Earth itself is an ecosystem, dependent on interacting species and consisting of finite resources. As the human population has grown and increasingly dominated available resources, “ecosystem Earth” has begun to show increasing signs of stress. Loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and conflict over resources among the dominant species are typical signs that a biological system is nearing a state change, which could range from collapse of the dominant species, to development of alternative biological communities, to collapse of the entire system. In this special issue, we identify our impacts on ecosystem Earth, seek to understand the barriers to change, and explore potential solutions. Decades of research on ecosystem dynamics can help to guide our thinking about a sustainable future. Bottom-up reductions in human population growth and resource consumption, changes to how we think about our place in the system, and a willingness to prioritize persistence of the other species within our biological community will lead to a healthier planetary ecosystem. It is essential that humanity begins to better appreciate our role as just one part of a large and interdependent biological community. Our ability to dominate the planet's resources makes us directly responsible for determining the future of the ecosystem on which we, and all other forms of life, depend.


ECOSYSTEM EARTH

REVIEWS

The interaction of human population, food production, and biodiversity protection
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/260>
BY EILEEN CRIST, CAMILO MORA, ROBERT ENGELMAN
SCIENCE21 APR 2017 : 260-264 
Abstract
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/260.abstract>
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/260 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/260>
Ecosystem management as a wicked problem
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/265>
BY RUTH DEFRIES, HARINI NAGENDRA
SCIENCE21 APR 2017 : 265-270 
Abstract. 
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/265.abstract>http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/265 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/265>
Biodiversity losses and conservation responses in the Anthropocene
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/270>
BY CHRISTOPHER N. JOHNSON, ANDREW BALMFORD, BARRY W. BROOK, JESSIE C. BUETTEL, MAURO GALETTI, LEI GUANGCHUN, JANET M. WILMSHURST
SCIENCE21 APR 2017 : 270-275 
Abstract  
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/270.abstract>http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/270 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/270>

Beyond the roots of human inaction: Fostering collective effort toward ecosystem conservation
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/275>
BY ELISE AMEL, CHRISTIE MANNING, BRITAIN SCOTT, SUSAN KOGER
SCIENCE21 APR 2017 : 275-279 
Abstract. 
 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/275.abstract>http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/275 <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6335/275>

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"All organisms live within a limited range of body temperatures …. Direct effects of climatic warming can be understood through fatal decrements in an organism's performance in growth, reproduction, foraging, immune competence, behaviors and competitiveness. Performance in animals is supported by aerobic scope, the increase in oxygen consumption rate from resting to maximal ….

"At both upper and lower pejus temperatures, performance decrements result as the limiting capacity for oxygen supply causes hypoxemia. Beyond low and high critical temperatures, only a passive, anaerobic existence is possible."

Hans O. Pörtner and Anthony P. Farrell. Physiology and Climate Change. SCIENCE 31 OCTOBER 2008       VOL 322
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“  … organisms have a physiological response to temperature, and these responses have important consequences …. biological rates and times (e.g. metabolic rate, growth, reproduction, mortality and activity) vary with temperature. 

Anthony I. Dell, Samraat Pawar and Van M. Savage, Temperature dependence of trophic interactions are driven by asymmetry of species responses and foraging strategy.

Journal of Animal Ecology 2013
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“Climate change impacts have now been documented across every ecosystem on Earth, despite an average warming of only ~1°C so far. Here, we describe the full range and scale of climate change effects on global biodiversity that have been observed in natural systems. To do this, we identify a set of core ecological processes (32 in terrestrial and 31 each in marine and freshwater ecosystems) that underpin ecosystem functioning and support services to people. Of the 94 processes considered, 82% show evidence of impact from climate change in the peer-reviewed literature.

Scheffers et al. The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people. Science, 11 NOVEMBER 2016

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"All organisms live within a limited range of body temperatures …. Direct effects of climatic warming can be understood through fatal decrements in an organism's performance in growth, reproduction, foraging, immune competence, behaviors and competitiveness. Performance in animals is supported by aerobic scope, the increase in oxygen consumption rate from resting to maximal ….

"At both upper and lower pejus temperatures, performance decrements result as the limiting capacity for oxygen supply causes hypoxemia. Beyond low and high critical temperatures, only a passive, anaerobic existence is possible."

Hans O. Pörtner and Anthony P. Farrell. Physiology and Climate Change. SCIENCE 31 OCTOBER 2008       VOL 322
========================================================================================
“  … organisms have a physiological response to temperature, and these responses have important consequences …. biological rates and times (e.g. metabolic rate, growth, reproduction, mortality and activity) vary with temperature. 

Anthony I. Dell, Samraat Pawar and Van M. Savage, Temperature dependence of trophic interactions are driven by asymmetry of species responses and foraging strategy.

Journal of Animal Ecology 2013
===================================================================================================
“Climate change impacts have now been documented across every ecosystem on Earth, despite an average warming of only ~1°C so far. Here, we describe the full range and scale of climate change effects on global biodiversity that have been observed in natural systems. To do this, we identify a set of core ecological processes (32 in terrestrial and 31 each in marine and freshwater ecosystems) that underpin ecosystem functioning and support services to people. Of the 94 processes considered, 82% show evidence of impact from climate change in the peer-reviewed literature.

Scheffers et al. The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people. Science, 11 NOVEMBER 2016

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