Impacts of recent climate change on terrestrial flora and fauna: Some emerging Australian examples

Abstract

The effects of anthropogenic climate change on biodiversity are well known for some high‐profile Australian marine systems, including coral bleaching and kelp forest devastation. Less well‐published are the impacts of climate change being observed in terrestrial ecosystems, although ecological models have predicted substantial changes are likely. Detecting and attributing terrestrial changes to anthropogenic factors is difficult due to the ecological importance of extreme conditions, the noisy nature of short‐term data collected with limited resources, and complexities introduced by biotic interactions. Here, we provide a suite of case studies that have considered possible impacts of anthropogenic climate change on Australian terrestrial systems. Our intention is to provide a diverse collection of stories illustrating how Australian flora and fauna are likely responding to direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic climate change. We aim to raise awareness rather than be comprehensive. We include case studies covering canopy dieback in forests, compositional shifts in vegetation, positive feedbacks between climate, vegetation and disturbance regimes, local extinctions in plants, size changes in birds, phenological shifts in reproduction and shifting biotic interactions that threaten communities and endangered species. Some of these changes are direct and clear cut, others are indirect and less clearly connected to climate change; however, all are important in providing insights into the future state of terrestrial ecosystems. We also highlight some of the management issues relevant to conserving terrestrial communities and ecosystems in the face of anthropogenic climate change.

Plant functional traits differ in adaptability and are predicted to be differentially affected by climate change

“…However, changes to climate might negatively impact those long-established patterns of local adaptation (Aitken & Whitlock, 2013;Hoffmann & Sgrò, 2011). While it may be many years until the full effects of global climate change are realized, the effects on local forest populations have already been observed (Harris et al, 2018;Hoffmann et al, 2019). For example, climate change impacts include changes in forest distribution (Kelly & Goulden, 2008;Lenoir et al, 2010) and widespread tree mortality due to increased severity of drought and heat waves (Allen et al, 2010;Matusick et al, 2018;Williams & Dumroese, 2013).…”

Herbarium specimens provide historical evidence of Cardiaspina jerramungae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea, Aphalaridae) outbreaks on Eucalyptus occidentalis in the Lower Great Southern of Western Australia

“…More broadly, it is a feature of an ecosystem where many factors are contributing to change (Hoffmann et al . ).…”

“…; Hoffmann et al . ). Further outbreaks of this psyllid are likely, but the periodicity is unpredictable.…”

“…Not all these tree decline incidences, however, are insect related. More broadly, it is a feature of an ecosystem where many factors are contributing to change (Hoffmann et al 2019).…”

“…The psyllid's principal host, FTY, occupies an ecological niche subject to waterlogging and inundation and is therefore vulnerable to these larger scale processes where the influence of salinity and a drying climate interact (McFarlane et al 2016). Predicting the impact of climate trends on eucalypts and their associated invertebrate herbivores is not straightforward; they are influenced by the ecological features of both the host and the herbivore as well as the geographical and hydrological aspects of the landscape it inhabits (Smettem et al 2013;Booth et al 2015;Hoffmann et al 2019). Further outbreaks of this psyllid are likely, but the periodicity is unpredictable.…”