Biological responses to extreme weather events are detectable but difficult to formally attribute to anthropogenic climate change.

ABSTRACT: As the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as droughts, heatwaves and floods have increased over recent decades, more extreme biological responses are being reported, and there is widespread interest in attributing such responses to anthropogenic climate change. However, the formal detection and attribution of biological responses to climate change is associated with many challenges. We illustrate these challenges with data from the Elbe River floodplain, Germany. Using community turnover and stability indices, we show that responses in plant, carabid and mollusc communities are detectable following extreme events. Community composition and species dominance changed following the extreme flood and summer heatwave of 2002/2003 (all taxa); the 2006 flood and heatwave (molluscs); a

SUBMITTER: Harris RMB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7442817 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature