Presentation
of Science-paper - Climate warming leads
to contrasting changes in the duration of
the growing season and species’ life cycles
- 15 May 2009 - Studies across the Earth
indicate a lengthening of the growing season
in response to global warming. Yet life
history observations suggest that many species
shorten their life cycle as the climate
gets warmer. The consequence may increase
the likelihood that climate warming is altering
the structure and function of ecological
communities, perhaps adversely. This is
the message in a new “perspectives” article
in the renowned scientific journal Science.
What are the effects
of climate warming on the population dynamics
of plants and animals? This is the question
professor Eric Post, Pennsylvania State
University and the National Environmental
Research Institute, Aarhus University and
his co-author Heidi Steltzer sets out to
answer in a “perspectives” article in Science.
Their conclusion is
that shortened, more divergent life histories
may lead to gaps in the availability of
resources for pollinators and herbivores
and may facilitate the establishment of
invasive species. In addition nutrient losses
during the growing season could increase
through decreased species complementarity.
Thus the contrasting changes in the duration
of the growing season and species’ life
cycles increase the likelihood that climate
warming is altering the structure and function
of ecological communities, perhaps adversely.
Arctic willow. NERI-studies
have shown that global warming has advanced
the onset of spring with more than a month
for several species in the high arctic part
of NE Greenland.
+ More
New affiliated Professor
at NERI
15 May 2009 - Eric Post,
Pennsylvania State University, has been
appointed Affiliated Professor at the Danish
National Environmental Research Institute
(NERI), Aarhus University. The professorship
will maintain, and in the longer term develop,
formal collaboration between the two universities
in the area of research and education.
Eric Post holds a Master’s
degree in Biology from the University of
Minnesota and was awarded a PhD from the
University of Alaska in 1995. During his
PhD, he was posted at the University of
Copenhagen for 1½ years. On completion
of his training, Eric Post was employed
as Postdoc at the University of Oslo before,
in 2000, he came to Pennsylvania State University,
where today he is ‘Associate Professor’.
In the period 2007-2008 he worked as guest
researcher at NERI.
In his research, Eric
Post has focused on population and community
ecology of herbivores and plants related
to climate change. His publication list
includes around 60 articles in international
scientific journals.
During the year that
Eric Post was employed as guest researcher
in NERI’s Department for Arctic Environment,
in collaboration with Professor Mads C Forchhammer,
NERI, he integrated the climate-related
research and monitoring of their respective
institutions.
As, in both locations,
research on the impacts of climate change
has developed greatly in recent years, the
collaboration between Eric Post and Mads
C Forchhammer has created a unique research
synergy that, in just the one year, resulted
in a range of publications in international
journals as well as a large-scale, international
conference at AU. Moreover, steps have been
taken to integrate the long-term monitoring
and research programmes of the two institutions
in Greenland, at NERI’s and PSU’s respective
research stations in Zackenberg, Nuuk and
Kangerlussuaq.
As Affiliated Professor
Eric Post together with Mads C Forchhammer
will form a collaboration with regard to
research, monitoring as well as PhD and
postdoctoral training at the two universities,
centring around an intensive PhD course
at AU. The course will focus on concepts
and methods within research-based monitoring
of the influence of climate change on the
Arctic environment, including exploitation
of natural resources.
The Affiliated Professorship
can be the first step in a longer term,
formal collaboration between the two universities.
