The effect of global warming on trophic interactions in food-webs

Skinkis, James (2022) The effect of global warming on trophic interactions in food-webs. Master's Thesis / Essay, Ecology and Evolution.

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Abstract

Climate change and global warming is causing the accelerated alteration of the environment in which species inhabit on a regional and local level. This can cause species migration, behavioural adaptation, and phenological alteration in response to fluctuations in temperature and rainfall. Topological rewiring and trophic interaction rewiring cause changes in food-web structure often creating a simplified food-web benefiting more generalist species. This can be witnessed in both altitudinal and latitudinal expansion of generalist species following increased temperature in areas. Trophic cascades following changes are often discovered when investigated, and can cause unexpected changes within food-webs to which some have responded by developing models to predict potential changes that will be witnessed under current climate forecasts. However, current modelling strategies are largely ineffective due to the wealth of data required on various species and geographical locations to accurately predict these effects. Despite the changes witnessed there are also species and food-webs which display resilience or the ability to develop resilience to change through behavioural adaptation or genetic variation present within the species. However, global warming is expected to cause an increase in the success of mobile generalist species as they migrate into the geographical areas and ecological niches of specialist species and potentially cause their extinction in the process.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay)
Supervisor name:	Both, C.
Degree programme:	Ecology and Evolution
Thesis type:	Master's Thesis / Essay
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	31 Mar 2023 11:56
Last Modified:	31 Mar 2023 11:56
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/29046

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