Climate Change Lesson 10 : Ecosystem Relationships
Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance in the 19th century, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Resources on their website include an online guide to tree identification, a searchable tree guide showing hardiness zones, and specific information for trees in each state. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.arborday.org/
Bioeconomy and Climate Change
Michigan State University has been convening symposiums and distinguished lecture series to address topics such as Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Opportunities: Michigan and Beyond. Video and PowerPoint [PDF] media of some of the presentations are available at this site. Retrieved June 28, 2018, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gzks0
Changing Climate
The OSU Climate Change Outreach Team is a partnership among multiple departments within The Ohio State University (OSU). The team’s goal is to help localize the climate change issue by bringing related research and resources to residents of Ohio and the Great Lakes region. Webinars and PowerPoints from previous webinars are available online. Retrieved December 20, 2011, from http://changingclimate.osu.edu/
Climate Change and Ecosystems
In this research and discussion activity from COSEE, students research the interdependencies among plants and animals in an ecosystem and explore how climate change might affect those interdependencies and the ecosystem as a whole. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://cosee.umaine.edu/cfuser/resources/TR_ecosystem.pdf
Climate Change and Ecosystem Response
In this NOAA lesson, students are examining through a hypothetical case study the ability of animals and plants to evolutionarily adapt to keep pace with environmental changes due to climate change. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/outreach/lesson_plans/Climate%20Change%20 and%20Ecosystem%20Response.pdf
Climate Change- Health and Environmental Effects
In this publication by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the effects of climate change on various groups of animals are discussed. Retrieved June 28, 2018, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/climatechange/health_impacts/index.cfm
Climate Change Resource Center
The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a reference website for resource managers and decisionmakers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation. The site offers educational information, including basic science modules that explain climate and climate impacts, decision-support models, maps, simulations, case studies, and toolkits. The site is a joint project of the Forest Service Research Stations and the Environmental Threat Assessment Centers (WWETAC/EFETAC). Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/
Climate Curriculum for Teachers
Lessons 4 and 8 of this curriculum from the World Wildlife Federation focus on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. In lesson 4, students read and discuss articles on how changing weather patterns, a changing balance of competitors, and changes in the availability of food and shelter can increase uncertainty for communities of living things. Students predict how continued warming may affect communities of living things with which they are familiar. In lesson 8, students research the interdependencies among plants and animals in an ecosystem and explore how climate change might affect those interdependencies and the ecosystem as a whole. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/Climate%20Change/Climate%20Cirriculum/WWFBinaryitem5968.pdf
Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems
In this booklet by the USDA, the team of authors – experts in the fields of agriculture, biodiversity, and land and water resources – conducted an exhaustive review, analysis, and synthesis of the relevant scientific literature, considering more than 1,000 separate publications. This document summarizes their major findings and conclusions. Retrieved June 28, 2018, from http://www.carangeland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06USDAEffectsofClimateChangeonUSEcosystem.pdf
Lifemapper
Today, with databases and Internet communication protocols, biodiversity research collections have assembled massive caches of information associated with these voucher specimens--data describing what lived where and when. Lifemapper uses all of the online geospatial species occurrence data to create distribution maps and, notably, goes one step further to predict where an individual species should exist based on where it is documented to live. Lifemapper does this by combining species occurrence data with global climate, terrain and land cover information, to identify environmental correlates of species ranges. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from http://www.lifemapper.org/
The Nature Conservancy: Adapting to Climate Change in the Great Lakes
The Conservancy’s Great Lakes Project has developed a regional climate strategy to address the impacts of changing temperature and precipitation patterns on our freshwater, coastal, forest and agricultural resources. The site has case studies, video interviews, climate adaptation tools and information about a network of climate partners. Retrieved January 25, 2013, from http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/areas/greatlakes/explore/adapting-to-climate-change-in-the-great-lakes.xml