JASM 2014 Special Session - Effects of climate change on species interactions in aquatic ecosystems
We are pleased to invite interested researchers to submit an abstract to our special session on the effect of climate change on species interactions across aquatic systems at the upcoming Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (May 18-23, Portland,Oregon). Were bringing together researchers who are working in a broad range of taxonomic groups and aquatic environments including vernal pools, lakes, streams, and coastal estuaries. We hope the results presented in our session further our understanding how climate change may affect species interactions across ecosystems. Please find our session description below, as well as a link to the conference website. Abstracts must be submitted by 23:59 U.S. Central Standard Time on Friday, 7 February 2014. Please contact us if you have any questions and we hope to see you in Portland! Cheers, Christopher J. Patrick, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center [email protected] Gretchen Hansen, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [email protected] Submission Link - http://www.sgmeet.com/jasm2014/ Session Description: 016 - Effects of climate change on species interactions in aquatic ecosystems Climate change directly influences aquatic ecosystems by altering temperature and precipitation regimes, and indirectly through changing the strength of interspecific interactions. These indirect effects of climate change such as altered predator-prey dynamics, competitive interactions, and disease dynamics can be more subtle than direct affects, but are equally important for accurately forecasting the future impacts of climate change on aquatic food webs and ecosystem functions . This session will bring together researchers from around the world studying the effects of climate change on species interactions across taxonomic groups ranging from invertebrates to fish and habitats ranging from ephemeral freshwater pools to estuaries. We will search for commonalities and differences in the types of questions asked, the data collection approaches used, and results to date to 1) further our understanding and mechanisms by which climate influences species interactions, and 2) identify key areas for future research and synthesis. As the literature on this topic is rapidly growing, we will also provide time for discussion with the aim of creating a working group to publish a paper distilling the lessons learned from our cross-system synthesis.
