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Sensitivities
A. There will be increased opportunity for invasive species establishment with increased disturbance and shifting plant species composition under changing climate.
B. Climate change may lead to loss of climatically suitable habitat for persistent pinyon-juniper ecosystems.
Content produced by the Northwest Climate Hub
Sensitivities
A. More wildfire and insect outbreaks will increase loss of late-successional forest habitat and connectivity.
B. Loss of habitat structure and spatial heterogeneity will increase species vulnerability to changing climate.
C. Higher temperature and increased disturbance will cause shifts in ranges of plant and animal species.
D. A warmer climate will potentially convert drier forest types (e.g., ponderosa pine) to shrubland or grassland
Content produced by the Northwest Climate Hub
As the climate has changed in Alaska over the past several decades, invasive plants and area burned by wildfires have both increased. Invasive plants are non-native species that have been introduced from a different region. Yet not all non-native species are invasive. Invasive species are often defined by three features:
Originate from another region (non-native).
Spread rapidly or aggressively, often outcompeting native plants.
Content produced by the Northwest Climate Hub
Sensitivities
A. Warming temperatures will lead to longer fire seasons, increased wildfire frequency, and increased area burned across the western U.S.
B. There will be increased opportunity for invasive species establishment with increased disturbance and shifting plant species composition in a changing climate.
C. The potential for mortality events and regeneration failures will increase in a warming climate with increased fire, drought, insect outbreaks, and interactions among disturbances.
Content produced by the Northwest Climate Hub
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As the climate changes over the 21st century, the Puget Sound region’s urban forest will be affected by changing temperatures and precipitation regimes, leading to implications for the people who depend on its ecosystem services.
Severe tropical cyclones present significant challenges for managing invasive species in the Pacific Islands. As climate change intensifies these storms, the impact on ecosystems becomes more severe, creating opportunities for invasive species to spread. For example, damage from storms like Typhoon Dolphin in 2015 likely worsened invasive species spread, such as that of the little fire ants and coconut rhinoceros beetle, threatening both ecosystems and livelihoods.
Content produced by the Southwest Climate Hub
Non-native invasive earthworms can significantly disrupt natural ecosystems. This page discusses the various effects of earthworms on ecosystems in the Midwest and Northeast and presents considerations for land management.
Content produced by the Northern Forests Climate Hub
Forests across the United States are expected to undergo numerous changes in response to the changing climate. The Forest Adaptation Menu of Strategies and Approaches provides a collection of resources designed to help forest managers incorporate climate change considerations into management and devise adaptation tactics.
Effects from Climate Change
Climate change will affect forests as they experience:
Content produced by the Northern Forests Climate Hub
Northern hardwood forests in New England and New York are already being affected by climate change, which creates challenges for sustaining the ecological, economic, and cultural benefits that these forests provide. There are many adaptation management actions that can address these key challenges. Adaptation actions are informed by site-specific conditions, including historical land-use legacies, and local manager knowledge and expertise.
Content produced by the Northern Forests Climate Hub
Sensitivities
A. Increased flood frequency and higher peak flows may reduce egg-fry survival for fall spawners and yearling parr winter survival.
B. Increased sedimentation in streams will accompany increased flooding and wildfire.
C. Lower low flows in summer will reduce fish habitat quality.
D. Lower low flows in summer will increase pre-spawn mortality for summer run and stream-type salmon and steelhead.
Content produced by the Northwest Climate Hub