Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems
Some ecosystems can undergo abrupt transformation in response to relatively small environmental change. Identifying imminent 'tipping points' is crucial for biodiversity conservation, particularly in the face of climate change. Here, we describe a tipping point mechanism likely to induce w...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23893603 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/89177 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:89177 2023-05-15T13:37:23+02:00 Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems Clark, GF Stark, JS Johnston, EL Runcie, JW Goldsworthy, PM Raymond, B Riddle, MJ 2013 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23893603 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/89177 en eng Blackwell Publishing Ltd http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 Clark, GF and Stark, JS and Johnston, EL and Runcie, JW and Goldsworthy, PM and Raymond, B and Riddle, MJ, Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems, Global Change Biology, 19, (12) pp. 3749-3761. ISSN 1354-1013 (2013) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23893603 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/89177 Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2013 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 2019-12-13T21:52:44Z Some ecosystems can undergo abrupt transformation in response to relatively small environmental change. Identifying imminent 'tipping points' is crucial for biodiversity conservation, particularly in the face of climate change. Here, we describe a tipping point mechanism likely to induce widespread regime shifts in polar ecosystems. Seasonal snow and ice-cover periodically block sunlight reaching polar ecosystems, but the effect of this on annual light depends critically on the timing of cover within the annual solar cycle. At high latitudes, sunlight is strongly seasonal, and ice-free days around the summer solstice receive orders of magnitude more light than those in winter. Early melt that brings the date of ice-loss closer to midsummer will cause an exponential increase in the amount of sunlight reaching some ecosystems per year. This is likely to drive ecological tipping points in which primary producers (plants and algae) flourish and out-compete dark-adapted communities. We demonstrate this principle on Antarctic shallow seabed ecosystems, which our data suggest are sensitive to small changes in the timing of sea-ice loss. Algae respond to light thresholds that are easily exceeded by a slight reduction in sea-ice duration. Earlier sea-ice loss is likely to cause extensive regime shifts in which endemic shallow-water invertebrate communities are replaced by algae, reducing coastal biodiversity and fundamentally changing ecosystem functioning. Modeling shows that recent changes in ice and snow cover have already transformed annual light budgets in large areas of the Arctic and Antarctic, and both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are likely to experience further significant change in light. The interaction between ice-loss and solar irradiance renders polar ecosystems acutely vulnerable to abrupt ecosystem change, as light-driven tipping points are readily breached by relatively slight shifts in the timing of snow and ice-loss. 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Climate change Sea ice eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic Arctic Global Change Biology 19 12 3749 3761 |
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Open Polar |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
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ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) |
spellingShingle |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Clark, GF Stark, JS Johnston, EL Runcie, JW Goldsworthy, PM Raymond, B Riddle, MJ Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) |
description |
Some ecosystems can undergo abrupt transformation in response to relatively small environmental change. Identifying imminent 'tipping points' is crucial for biodiversity conservation, particularly in the face of climate change. Here, we describe a tipping point mechanism likely to induce widespread regime shifts in polar ecosystems. Seasonal snow and ice-cover periodically block sunlight reaching polar ecosystems, but the effect of this on annual light depends critically on the timing of cover within the annual solar cycle. At high latitudes, sunlight is strongly seasonal, and ice-free days around the summer solstice receive orders of magnitude more light than those in winter. Early melt that brings the date of ice-loss closer to midsummer will cause an exponential increase in the amount of sunlight reaching some ecosystems per year. This is likely to drive ecological tipping points in which primary producers (plants and algae) flourish and out-compete dark-adapted communities. We demonstrate this principle on Antarctic shallow seabed ecosystems, which our data suggest are sensitive to small changes in the timing of sea-ice loss. Algae respond to light thresholds that are easily exceeded by a slight reduction in sea-ice duration. Earlier sea-ice loss is likely to cause extensive regime shifts in which endemic shallow-water invertebrate communities are replaced by algae, reducing coastal biodiversity and fundamentally changing ecosystem functioning. Modeling shows that recent changes in ice and snow cover have already transformed annual light budgets in large areas of the Arctic and Antarctic, and both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are likely to experience further significant change in light. The interaction between ice-loss and solar irradiance renders polar ecosystems acutely vulnerable to abrupt ecosystem change, as light-driven tipping points are readily breached by relatively slight shifts in the timing of snow and ice-loss. 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Clark, GF Stark, JS Johnston, EL Runcie, JW Goldsworthy, PM Raymond, B Riddle, MJ |
author_facet |
Clark, GF Stark, JS Johnston, EL Runcie, JW Goldsworthy, PM Raymond, B Riddle, MJ |
author_sort |
Clark, GF |
title |
Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
title_short |
Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
title_full |
Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
title_fullStr |
Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
title_full_unstemmed |
Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
title_sort |
light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems |
publisher |
Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23893603 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/89177 |
geographic |
Antarctic Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Arctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Climate change Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Climate change Sea ice |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 Clark, GF and Stark, JS and Johnston, EL and Runcie, JW and Goldsworthy, PM and Raymond, B and Riddle, MJ, Light-driven tipping points in polar ecosystems, Global Change Biology, 19, (12) pp. 3749-3761. ISSN 1354-1013 (2013) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23893603 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/89177 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12337 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
container_volume |
19 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
3749 |
op_container_end_page |
3761 |
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1766091103463800832 |