Climate Change Biology

About this book

Climate change has moved from a contested phenomenon to the top of the agenda at global summits. "Climate Change Biology" is the first major textbook to address the critical issue of how climate change may affect life on the planet, and particularly its impact on human populations. Presented in three parts, the first deals extensively with the physical evidence of climate change and various modelling efforts to predict its future. Biological responses are then addressed from the individual's physiology to populations and ecosystems, and further to considering adaptation and evolution. The final section examines the specific impact climate change may have on natural resources, particularly as these relate to human livelihood. This volume will be a useful asset to the growing number of both undergraduate and graduate courses on impacts of climate change, as well as providing a succinct overview for researchers new to the field.

Contents

Part One. Setting the Context for Studies of the Biological Impacts of Climate Change
1. Putting it in perspective: the paleorecord and climate reconstructions
2. Future climate forcings: The IPCC's scenario-based approach
3. Projecting future climates
4. Methods for studying the impacts of climate change

Part Two. Levels of Biological Responses
5. Physiological responses to climate change
6. Population responses in time and space
7. Community composition and dynamics
8. Ecosystem responses
9. Evolutionary responses

Part three. Impacts on Natural Resources
10. Soil responses
11. The future of forest productivity
12. The future of agricultural production
14. Impacts on biodiversity
15. Future challenges, limitations, and opportunities

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