Article

TROPHIC LEVELS ARE DIFFERENTIALLY SENSITIVE TO CLIMATE

Winfried VoigtInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyJörg PernerInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyAndrew DavisInstitute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, JapanTill EggersNERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY United KingdomJens SchumacherInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyRudolf BährmannInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyBärbel FabianInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyWolfgang HeinrichInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyGünter KöhlerInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyDorit LichterInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyRolf MarstallerInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, GermanyFriedrich W. SanderInstitute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany

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Abstract

Predicting the response of communities to climate change is a major challenge for ecology. Communities may well not respond as entities but be disrupted, particularly if trophic levels respond differently, but as yet there is no evidence for differential responses from natural systems. We therefore analyzed unusually detailed plant and animal data collected over 20 years from two grassland communities to determine whether functional group climate sensitivity differed between trophic levels. We found that sensitivity increases significantly with increasing trophic level. This differential sensitivity would lead to community destabilization under climate change, not simple geographical shifts, and consequently must be incorporated in predictive ecological climate models.

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1890/02-0266

Citations and references

Cited by 20 references

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