Ecological Tipping Points An ecological threshold is the

Ecological Tipping Points “An ecological threshold is the point at which a relatively small change in external conditions causes a rapid change in an ecosystem. ” ©Darragh Doyle Voice over by Aaron Hickey

Causes of tipping points Trophic cascades Climate change Habitat loss

Trophic Cascades X XX X

Climate change CO 2 p. H ⁰C

Habitat Destruction: Knock On Effects

Environmental and anthropogenic Implications:

Existing research

Other examples of potential Global ecological tipping points • Amazon Rainforest • Boreal Forest • West Atlantic Ice Sheet • Greenland Ice Sheet • Arctic Sea Ice • Thermohaline Circulation • • • West African Monsoon The Himalayas Indian Summer Monsoon Permafrost El Nino Southwest American Drought

Bibliography Cury, P. M. , Boyd, I. L. , Bonhommeau, S. , Anker-Nilssen, T. , Crawford, R. J. M. , Furness, R. W. , Mills, J. A. , Murphy, E. J. , Oesterblom, H. , Paleczny, M. , Piatt, J. F. , Roux, J. -P. , Shannon, L. , & Sydeman, W. J. (2011). Global Seabird Response to Forage Fish Depletion-One. Third for the Birds. Science 334(6063), 1703 -1706. Encyclopedia Britannica, (2015). trophic cascade | ecology. [online] Available at: http: //www. britannica. com/science/trophic-cascade [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]. Ferraro, K. 2016. Global Coral ‘bleaching threatens reef survival. Medill news service. Available at: http: //news. medill. northwestern. edu/chicago/global-coral-bleaching-event-threatens-reefs-survival/ [Accessed 21/11/2016] Klappenbach, and Klappenbach, L. (2015). Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, and Destruction. [online] About. com Education. Available at: http: //animals. about. com/od/h/g/habitat-destruction. htm [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]. Lenton, T. M. , 2011. Early warning of climate tipping points. Nature Climate Change, 1(4), pp. 201– 209. Available at: http: //dx. doi. org/10. 1038/nclimate 1143. Möllmann, C. & Diekmann, R. , 2012. Marine Ecosystem Regime Shifts Induced by Climate and Overfishing. A Review for the Northern Hemisphere, Nature Education, (2015). Schematic of a three-level trophic cascade. . [image] Available at: http: //www. nature. com/scitable/knowledge/library/trophic-cascades-across-diverse-plant-ecosystems-80060347 [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015]. NOAA. 2016. US Depaartment of Commerce. Available at: http: //oceanservice. noaa. gov/facts/coral_bleach. html [Accessed 18/11/2016]

Recommended Reading DUARTE, C. M. , AGUSTI, S. , WASSMANN, P. , ARRIETA, J. M. , ALCARAZ, M. , COELLO, A. , MARBA, N. , HENDRIKS, I. E. , HOLDING, J. , GARCIA-ZARANDONA, I. , KRITZBERG, E. & VAQUE, D. 2012. Tipping Elements in the Arctic Marine Ecosystem. Ambio, 41, 44 -55. ESLAMI-ANDERGOLI, L. , DALE, P. E. R. , KNIGHT, J. M. & MCCALLUM, H. 2015. Approaching tipping points: a focused review of indicators and relevance to managing intertidal ecosystems. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 23, 791 -802. HORAN, R. D. , FENICHEL, E. P. , DRURY, K. L. S. & LODGE, D. M. 2011. Managing ecological thresholds in coupled environmental-human systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108, 7333 -7338. HUNTINGTON, H. P. , GOODSTEIN, E. & EUSKIRCHEN, E. 2012. Towards a Tipping Point in Responding to Change: Rising Costs, Fewer Options for Arctic and Global Societies. Ambio, 41, 66 -74. LENTON, T. M. 2011. Early warning of climate tipping points. Nature Climate Change, 1, 201 -209. Cury, P. M. , Boyd, I. L. , Bonhommeau, S. , Anker-Nilssen, T. , Crawford, R. J. M. , Furness, R. W. , Mills, J. A. , Murphy, E. J. , Oesterblom, H. , Paleczny, M. , Piatt, J. F. , Roux, J. -P. , Shannon, L. , & Sydeman, W. J. (2011). Global Seabird Response to Forage Fish Depletion-One-Third for the Birds. Science 334(6063), 1703 -1706.