Climate Flashcards
What is climate change defined as in this document?
An increase in average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events.
Climate change leads to increased variability of weather.
What are ‘extreme events’ in the context of climate change?
Events that are two standard deviations or more off the mean, occurring less than 1 in 100 years.
The predictability of when these events will occur is low.
What time scales do climate changes occur on?
10-100 years for climate scientists and 4-year cycles for politics.
What impacts does climate change have on marine ecosystems?
- Increased temperatures
- Increased CO2 concentrations
- Ocean acidification
- Increased UV radiation
- Melting of sea ice
How is evolution defined in the document?
A change in the frequencies of genotypes in a population.
What are the four possible responses of organisms to environmental change?
- Movement
- Adaptation
- Extinction
- Coping
What distinguishes short-term adaptations from long-term evolutionary responses?
Short-term adaptations are often plastic, while long-term responses involve evolutionary changes.
What is the purpose of experimental evolution?
To observe evolutionary processes in real time, especially in microorganisms.
What should experimental designs consider according to the document?
- Temporal scale
- Spatial scale
- Parameters to be measured
- A plan B
What are regime shifts?
Abrupt, non-linear changes in the structure and function of ecosystems.
What factors can trigger regime shifts?
- Climate change
- Human activities
What are key characteristics of regime shifts?
- Resilience
- Tipping points
- Hysteresis
- Feedback mechanisms
Why is the identification of regime shifts complex?
It requires a combination of statistical analysis and consideration of spatio-temporal patterns.
What management challenges do regime shifts pose?
They require precautionary, holistic approaches like ecosystem-based management (EBM) and integrated ecosystem assessments (IEA).
What are socio-ecological systems (SES)?
Systems that consider both social and ecological dimensions together.
Fill in the blank: ‘Adaptation is evolution that leads to an increase in _______.’
[fitness]
True or False: Evolution happens through the selection of mutations.
True
What do positive feedbacks do in the context of regime shifts?
They move the system to an alternate stable state, out of equilibrium.
What should researchers familiarize themselves with for future studies?
The principles of replication, control, and power analysis.
