Chapter 8
Assessment of Climate-Induced Impacts
on Habitats
Iris Wagner-Lu ¨ cker, Michael Fo ¨rster, and Georg Janauer
8.1 Impacts Vary Between Biogeographical Regions
Climate change impacts biota from individual, population, species and community
level to whole ecosystems or biogeographic regions. The biota’s current distribution is a result of abiotic factors like climate conditions, topography, soil types or
disturbance regimes and biotic factors like competition. If abiotic factors like
regional climate conditions are changing, the individuals can be more prone to
catastrophic disturbances like disease, insects or fires (Bergengren et al. 2011).
In parts of the world, including Europe, the species distribution is already
influenced by climate change (Parmesan and Yohe 2003). Rising temperatures
led to an increase in thermophilic plant species (Bakkenes et al. 2006). Especially
in alpine areas, warm-adapted species become more frequent and the more coldadapted plants are declining (Gottfried et al. 2012). This also shows that the impact
of climate change on plant species communities varies between biogeographical
I. Wagner-Lu ¨cker (*)
Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation- and Landscape Ecology,
University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Department of Limnology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14,
1090 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: iris.wagner@univie.ac.at
M. Fo ¨rster
Geoinformation in Environmental Planning Lab, Department of Landscape Architecture
and Environmental Planning, Technical University of Berlin, Str. d. 17. Juni 145,
10623 Berlin, Germany
e-mail: michael.foerster@tu-berlin.de
G. Janauer
Department of Limnology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14,
1090 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: georg.janauer@univie.ac.at
S. Rannow and M. Neubert (eds.), Managing Protected Areas in Central
and Eastern Europe Under Climate Change, Advances in Global Change Research 58,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7960-0_8, © The Author(s) 2014
115
Assessment of Climate-Induced Impacts
on Habitats
Iris Wagner-Lu ¨ cker, Michael Fo ¨rster, and Georg Janauer
8.1 Impacts Vary Between Biogeographical Regions
Climate change impacts biota from individual, population, species and community
level to whole ecosystems or biogeographic regions. The biota’s current distribution is a result of abiotic factors like climate conditions, topography, soil types or
disturbance regimes and biotic factors like competition. If abiotic factors like
regional climate conditions are changing, the individuals can be more prone to
catastrophic disturbances like disease, insects or fires (Bergengren et al. 2011).
In parts of the world, including Europe, the species distribution is already
influenced by climate change (Parmesan and Yohe 2003). Rising temperatures
led to an increase in thermophilic plant species (Bakkenes et al. 2006). Especially
in alpine areas, warm-adapted species become more frequent and the more coldadapted plants are declining (Gottfried et al. 2012). This also shows that the impact
of climate change on plant species communities varies between biogeographical
I. Wagner-Lu ¨cker (*)
Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation- and Landscape Ecology,
University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Department of Limnology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14,
1090 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: iris.wagner@univie.ac.at
M. Fo ¨rster
Geoinformation in Environmental Planning Lab, Department of Landscape Architecture
and Environmental Planning, Technical University of Berlin, Str. d. 17. Juni 145,
10623 Berlin, Germany
e-mail: michael.foerster@tu-berlin.de
G. Janauer
Department of Limnology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14,
1090 Vienna, Austria
e-mail: georg.janauer@univie.ac.at
S. Rannow and M. Neubert (eds.), Managing Protected Areas in Central
and Eastern Europe Under Climate Change, Advances in Global Change Research 58,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7960-0_8, © The Author(s) 2014
115