The Experts below are selected from a list of 37911 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Warren P Porter - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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modeling dragons using linked mechanistic physiological and Microclimate models to explore environmental physiological and morphological constraints on the early evolution of dinosaurs
PLOS ONE, 2020Co-Authors: David M Lovelace, Scott A Hartman, Paul D Mathewson, Benjamin J Linzmeier, Warren P PorterAbstract:We employed the widely-tested biophysiological modeling software, Niche Mapper™ to investigate the metabolic function of the Late Triassic dinosaurs Plateosaurus and Coelophysis during global greenhouse conditions. We tested a variety of assumptions about resting metabolic rate, each evaluated within six Microclimate models that bound paleoenvironmental conditions at 12° N paleolatitude, as determined by sedimentological and isotopic proxies for climate within the Chinle Formation of the southwestern United States. Sensitivity testing of metabolic variables and simulated “metabolic chamber” analyses support elevated “ratite-like” metabolic rates and intermediate “monotreme-like” core temperature ranges in these species of early saurischian dinosaur. Our results suggest small theropods may have needed partial to full epidermal insulation in temperate environments, while fully grown prosauropods would have likely been heat stressed in open, hot environments and should have been restricted to cooler Microclimates such as dense forests or higher latitudes and elevations. This is in agreement with the Late Triassic fossil record and may have contributed to the latitudinal gap in the Triassic prosauropod record.
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modeling dragons using linked mechanistic physiological and Microclimate models to explore environmental physiological and morphological constraints on the early evolution of dinosaurs
bioRxiv, 2019Co-Authors: David M Lovelace, Scott A Hartman, Paul D Mathewson, Benjamin J Linzmeier, Warren P PorterAbstract:Abstract We employed the widely-tested biophysiological modeling software, Niche Mapper™ to investigate the metabolic function of Late Triassic dinosaurs Plateosaurus and Coelophysis during global greenhouse conditions. We tested them under a variety of assumptions about resting metabolic rate, evaluated within six Microclimate models that bound paleoenvironmental conditions at 12° N paleolatitude, as determined by sedimentological and isotopic proxies for climate within the Chinle Formation of the southwestern United States. Sensitivity testing of metabolic variables and simulated “metabolic chamber” analyses support elevated “ratite-like” metabolic rates and intermediate “monotreme-like” core temperature ranges in these species of early saurischian dinosaur. Our results suggest small theropods may have needed partial to full epidermal insulation in temperate environments, while fully grown prosauropods would have likely been heat stressed in open, hot environments and should have been restricted to cooler Microclimates such as dense forests (under any vegitative cover) or those seen at higher latitudes and elevations. This is in agreement with the Late Triassic fossil record and may have contributed to the latitudinal gap in the Triassic prosauropod record.
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nichemapr an r package for biophysical modelling the Microclimate model
Ecography, 2017Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Warren P PorterAbstract:Microclimatic variables are necessary for a wide range of pure and applied problems in environmental science. In ecology, microclimatic conditions are prerequisites for modelling the heat and water budgets of organisms, from which climatic constraints on behaviour, life histories, distribution and abundance can be inferred. Despite the critical importance of Microclimates, there is no general-purpose, accessible Microclimate model available for use in ecological studies. Here we introduce and document the Microclimate model of the biophysical modelling package NicheMapR, an R package that includes a suite of programs for mechanistic modelling of heat and mass exchange between organisms and their environments. The NicheMapR Microclimate model is based on a Fortran program originally developed by Porter, Mitchell, Beckman and McCullough for predicting hourly above- and below-ground conditions from meteorological, terrain, vegetation and soil data. The model includes routines for computing solar radiation, including effects of shading, slope, aspect and horizon angles (hillshade), and can include variable substrate properties with depth. Here we configure the program to be called from R as part of the NicheMapR package, and describe the model in detail including new functionality for modelling soil water balance and snow, optional input of hourly or daily weather input data, and an R implementation of the Global Aerosol Data Set for obtaining local estimates of aerosol profiles as input to the model. We include scripts for core operation of the model, for building a global, monthly long-term average dataset with all necessary environmental inputs, for computing physical properties of air, and for running the model with the global climate database. Example applications are provided in the paper and in the associated vignettes, including customisation the model to run with user-supplied weather inputs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Microclimate modelling at macro scales a test of a general Microclimate model integrated with gridded continental scale soil and weather data
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Alireza Shamakhy, Reid Tingley, David J Karoly, Ary A Hoffmann, Peter R Briggs, Warren P PorterAbstract:Summary The Microclimate experienced by organisms is determined by local weather conditions. Yet the environmental data available for predicting the effect of climate on the distribution and abundance of organisms are typically in the form of long-term average monthly climate measured at standardized heights above the ground. Here, we demonstrate how hourly Microclimates can be modelled mechanistically over decades at the continental scale with biologically suitable accuracy. We extend the Microclimate model of the software package niche mapper to capture spatial and temporal variation in soil thermal properties and integrate it with gridded soil and weather data for Australia at 0·05° resolution. When tested against historical observations of soil temperature, the Microclimate model predicted 85% of the variation in hourly soil temperature across 10 years from the surface to 1 m deep with an accuracy of 2–3·3 °C (c. 10% of the temperature range at a given depth) across an extremely climatically diverse range of sites. This capacity to accurately and mechanistically predict hourly local Microclimates across continental scales creates new opportunities for understanding how organisms respond to changes in climate.
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Microclimate modelling at macro scales a test of a general Microclimate model integrated with gridded continental scale soil and weather data
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Alireza Shamakhy, Reid Tingley, David J Karoly, Ary A Hoffmann, Peter R Briggs, Warren P PorterAbstract:The Microclimate experienced by organisms is determined by local weather conditions. Yet the environmental data available for predicting the effect of climate on the distribution and abundance of organisms are typically in the form of long-term average monthly climate measured at standardized heights above the ground. Here, we demonstrate how hourly Microclimates can be modelled mechanistically over decades at the continental scale with biologically suitable accuracy. We extend the Microclimate model of the software package niche mapper to capture spatial and temporal variation in soil thermal properties and integrate it with gridded soil and weather data for Australia at 0·05° resolution. When tested against historical observations of soil temperature, the Microclimate model predicted 85% of the variation in hourly soil temperature across 10 years from the surface to 1 m deep with an accuracy of 2-3·3 °C (c. 10% of the temperature range at a given depth) across an extremely climatically diverse range of sites. This capacity to accurately and mechanistically predict hourly local Microclimates across continental scales creates new opportunities for understanding how organisms respond to changes in climate. © 2013 British Ecological Society.
Michael R Kearney - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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a method for computing hourly historical terrain corrected Microclimate anywhere on earth
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2020Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Phillipa K Gillingham, Isobel Bramer, James P Duffy, Ilya M D MacleanAbstract:1. Microclimates are the thermal and hydric environments organisms actually experience and estimates of them are increasingly needed in environmental research. The availability of global weather and terrain data sets, together with increasingly sophisticated Microclimate modelling tools, makes the prospect of a global, web-based Microclimate estimation procedure feasible. 2. We have developed such an approach for the R programming environment which integrates existing R packages for obtaining terrain and sub-daily atmospheric forcing data (elevatr and RNCEP), and two complementary Microclimate modelling packages (NicheMapR and microclima). The procedure can be used to generate NicheMapR’s hourly time series outputs of above and below ground conditions, including convective and radiative environments, soil temperature, soil moisture and snow cover, for a single point, using microclima to account for local topographic and vegetation effects. Alternatively, it can use microclima to produce high-resolution grids of near-surface temperatures, using NicheMapR to derive calibration coefficients normally obtained from experimental data. 3. We validate this integrated approach against a series of Microclimate observations used previously in the tests of the respective models and show equivalent performance. 4. It is thus now feasible to produce realistic estimates of Microclimate at fine (<30 m) spatial and temporal scales anywhere on earth, from 1957 to present.
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nichemapr an r package for biophysical modelling the Microclimate model
Ecography, 2017Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Warren P PorterAbstract:Microclimatic variables are necessary for a wide range of pure and applied problems in environmental science. In ecology, microclimatic conditions are prerequisites for modelling the heat and water budgets of organisms, from which climatic constraints on behaviour, life histories, distribution and abundance can be inferred. Despite the critical importance of Microclimates, there is no general-purpose, accessible Microclimate model available for use in ecological studies. Here we introduce and document the Microclimate model of the biophysical modelling package NicheMapR, an R package that includes a suite of programs for mechanistic modelling of heat and mass exchange between organisms and their environments. The NicheMapR Microclimate model is based on a Fortran program originally developed by Porter, Mitchell, Beckman and McCullough for predicting hourly above- and below-ground conditions from meteorological, terrain, vegetation and soil data. The model includes routines for computing solar radiation, including effects of shading, slope, aspect and horizon angles (hillshade), and can include variable substrate properties with depth. Here we configure the program to be called from R as part of the NicheMapR package, and describe the model in detail including new functionality for modelling soil water balance and snow, optional input of hourly or daily weather input data, and an R implementation of the Global Aerosol Data Set for obtaining local estimates of aerosol profiles as input to the model. We include scripts for core operation of the model, for building a global, monthly long-term average dataset with all necessary environmental inputs, for computing physical properties of air, and for running the model with the global climate database. Example applications are provided in the paper and in the associated vignettes, including customisation the model to run with user-supplied weather inputs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Microclimate modelling at macro scales a test of a general Microclimate model integrated with gridded continental scale soil and weather data
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Alireza Shamakhy, Reid Tingley, David J Karoly, Ary A Hoffmann, Peter R Briggs, Warren P PorterAbstract:Summary The Microclimate experienced by organisms is determined by local weather conditions. Yet the environmental data available for predicting the effect of climate on the distribution and abundance of organisms are typically in the form of long-term average monthly climate measured at standardized heights above the ground. Here, we demonstrate how hourly Microclimates can be modelled mechanistically over decades at the continental scale with biologically suitable accuracy. We extend the Microclimate model of the software package niche mapper to capture spatial and temporal variation in soil thermal properties and integrate it with gridded soil and weather data for Australia at 0·05° resolution. When tested against historical observations of soil temperature, the Microclimate model predicted 85% of the variation in hourly soil temperature across 10 years from the surface to 1 m deep with an accuracy of 2–3·3 °C (c. 10% of the temperature range at a given depth) across an extremely climatically diverse range of sites. This capacity to accurately and mechanistically predict hourly local Microclimates across continental scales creates new opportunities for understanding how organisms respond to changes in climate.
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Microclimate modelling at macro scales a test of a general Microclimate model integrated with gridded continental scale soil and weather data
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Michael R Kearney, Alireza Shamakhy, Reid Tingley, David J Karoly, Ary A Hoffmann, Peter R Briggs, Warren P PorterAbstract:The Microclimate experienced by organisms is determined by local weather conditions. Yet the environmental data available for predicting the effect of climate on the distribution and abundance of organisms are typically in the form of long-term average monthly climate measured at standardized heights above the ground. Here, we demonstrate how hourly Microclimates can be modelled mechanistically over decades at the continental scale with biologically suitable accuracy. We extend the Microclimate model of the software package niche mapper to capture spatial and temporal variation in soil thermal properties and integrate it with gridded soil and weather data for Australia at 0·05° resolution. When tested against historical observations of soil temperature, the Microclimate model predicted 85% of the variation in hourly soil temperature across 10 years from the surface to 1 m deep with an accuracy of 2-3·3 °C (c. 10% of the temperature range at a given depth) across an extremely climatically diverse range of sites. This capacity to accurately and mechanistically predict hourly local Microclimates across continental scales creates new opportunities for understanding how organisms respond to changes in climate. © 2013 British Ecological Society.
Simos Yannas - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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street canyon design and improvement potential for urban open spaces the influence of canyon aspect ratio and orientation on Microclimate and outdoor comfort
Sustainable Cities and Society, 2017Co-Authors: Angeliki Chatzidimitriou, Simos YannasAbstract:Abstract Urban morphology and material properties are critical parameters in the formation of outdoor Microclimates and their effects on the thermal comfort of pedestrians. Despite considerable amounts of previous and ongoing research the scientific research results have not yet been fully adopted on urban projects. The present paper aims to contribute empirical and analytical results that highlight potential improvements that can be achieved through urban design. The paper draws upon environmental measurements, taken in both winter and summer periods, in 18 street canyons located in a dense central area of the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. The measurements are complemented by Microclimate simulation studies involving modelling of the 18 street canyons as well as a number of generic cases. The results of these studies suggest the most favourable canyon geometries in terms of pedestrian thermal comfort and support the incorporation of basic climatic parameters into urban design.
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Microclimate development in open urban spaces the influence of form and materials
Energy and Buildings, 2015Co-Authors: Angeliki Chatzidimitriou, Simos YannasAbstract:Abstract The Microclimates of open spaces in cities are highly influenced by urban geometry and construction materials. The present study reports on measurements of Microclimate data taken in different open urban spaces such as parks, squares and courtyards featuring various ground surface materials, in particular asphalt, concrete, marble, granite, porous stone, cobble stone, ceramic tiles, gravel, grass and water. The measured data were used to assess the effect of morphologic features and material properties on Microclimate development. Measurements were taken in two stages, starting with exploratory readings followed by corrective and complementary measurements. These took place in six different sites in the city of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. The measurements include surface and ambient temperatures, relative humidity and wind velocity readings. Spot measurements of direct and reflected solar radiation were also taken for an indicative calculation of surface albedo. The second round of measurements included globe temperatures in order to estimate the effect of the radiant environment on pedestrian thermal comfort. The results show differences between and within open spaces and their surfaces, thus highlighting the effects of shading, vegetation, water and material properties on Microclimate development and pedestrian thermal comfort.
Robert J. Wilson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Topographic Microclimates drive microhabitat associations at the range margin of a butterfly
Ecography, 2014Co-Authors: Callum R. Lawson, Jonathan Bennie, Jenny A. Hodgson, Chris D. Thomas, Robert J. WilsonAbstract:The habitat associations of individuals underpin the dynamics of species distributions. Broad-scale gradients in climate can alter habitat associations across species’ geographic ranges, but topographic heterogeneity creates local Microclimates which could generate variation in habitat use at finer spatial scales. We examined the selection of microhabitats for egg-laying by populations of a thermally-constrained butterfly, the skipper Hesperia comma, across 16 sites with different regional temperatures and topographic Microclimates. Using models of thermal Microclimate, we examined how the association between eggs and warm bare ground microhabitats varied with ambient temperature, and predicted bare ground associations in 287 existing H. comma populations, to investigate the relative impacts of regional temperatures and topographic Microclimates on microhabitat use. Eggs were most strongly associated with bare ground in relatively cool sites, indicating climate-driven changes in microhabitat use. The majority of temperature variation between study sites was attributable to topographic Microclimates rather than regional temperature differences, such that changes in microhabitat associations occurred principally between north- and south-facing slopes within the same region. Predicted microhabitat associations across the UK distribution of H. comma showed that, due to the large temperature differences generated by topography, most of the between-population variation in microhabitat use occurs locally within 5 km grid squares, with a smaller proportion occurring at a regional level between 5 km squares. Our findings show how microclimatic variation generated by topography alters the habitat associations of populations at fine spatial scales, suggesting that Microclimate-driven changes in habitat suitability could shape species’ distribution dynamics and their responses to environmental change.
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range expansion through fragmented landscapes under a variable climate
Ecology Letters, 2013Co-Authors: Jonathan Bennie, Callum R. Lawson, Jenny A. Hodgson, Chris D. Thomas, Crispin T R Holloway, David B Roy, Tom Brereton, Robert J. WilsonAbstract:Ecological responses to climate change may depend on complex patterns of variability in weather and local Microclimate that overlay global increases in mean temperature. Here, we show that high-resolution temporal and spatial variability in temperature drives the dynamics of range expansion for an exemplar species, the butterfly Hesperia comma. Using fine-resolution (5 m) models of vegetation surface Microclimate, we estimate the thermal suitability of 906 habitat patches at the species' range margin for 27 years. Population and metapopulation models that incorporate this dynamic Microclimate surface improve predictions of observed annual changes to population density and patch occupancy dynamics during the species' range expansion from 1982 to 2009. Our findings reveal how fine-scale, short-term environmental variability drives rates and patterns of range expansion through spatially localised, intermittent episodes of expansion and contraction. Incorporating dynamic Microclimates can thus improve models of species range shifts at spatial and temporal scales relevant to conservation interventions.
Pieter De Frenne - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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response to comment on forest Microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming
Science, 2020Co-Authors: Florian Zellweger, Pieter De Frenne, Jonathan Lenoir, Lander Baeten, Markus Bernhardtromermann, Pieter Vangansbeke, Kris Verheyen, Radim Hedl, Imre BerkiAbstract:Bertrand et al. question our interpretation about warming effects on the thermophilization in forest plant communities and propose an alternative way to analyze climatic debt. We show that Microclimate warming is a better predictor than macroclimate warming for studying forest plant community responses to warming. Their additional analyses do not affect or change our interpretations and conclusions.
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Forest Microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming
Science, 2020Co-Authors: Florian Zellweger, Pieter De Frenne, Jonathan Lenoir, Lander Baeten, Pieter Vangansbeke, Kris Verheyen, Radim Hedl, Imre Berki, Markus Bernhardt‐römermann, Jörg BrunetAbstract:Climate warming is causing a shift in biological communities in favor of warm-affinity species (i.e., thermophilization). Species responses often lag behind climate warming, but the reasons for such lags remain largely unknown. Here, we analyzed multidecadal understory Microclimate dynamics in European forests and show that thermophilization and the climatic lag in forest plant communities are primarily controlled by Microclimate. Increasing tree canopy cover reduces warming rates inside forests, but loss of canopy cover leads to increased local heat that exacerbates the disequilibrium between community responses and climate change. Reciprocal effects between plants and Microclimates are key to understanding the response of forest biodiversity and functioning to climate and land-use changes.
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Advances in Microclimate ecology arising from remote sensing
Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2019Co-Authors: Florian Zellweger, Pieter De Frenne, Jonathan Lenoir, Duccio Rocchini, David CoomesAbstract:Microclimates at the land–air interface affect the physiological functioning of organisms which, in turn, influences the structure, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. We review how remote sensing technologies that deliver detailed data about the structure and thermal composition of environments are improving the assessment of Microclimate over space and time. Mapping landscape-level heterogeneity of Microclimate advances our ability to study how organisms respond to climate variation, which has important implications for understanding climate-change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. Interpolating in situ Microclimate measurements and downscaling macroclimate provides an organism-centered perspective for studying climate–species interactions and species distribution dynamics. We envisage that mapping of Microclimate will soon become commonplace, enabling more reliable predictions of species and ecosystem responses to global change.
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Microclimate moderates plant responses to macroclimate warming
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2013Co-Authors: Pieter De Frenne, Francisco Rodriguezsanchez, David A Coomes, Lander Baeten, Gorik Verstraeten, Mark Vellend, Markus Bernhardtromermann, Carissa D BrownAbstract:Recent global warming is acting across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems to favor species adapted to warmer conditions and/or reduce the abundance of cold-adapted organisms (i.e., “thermophilization” of communities). Lack of community responses to increased temperature, however, has also been reported for several taxa and regions, suggesting that “climatic lags” may be frequent. Here we show that microclimatic effects brought about by forest canopy closure can buffer biotic responses to macroclimate warming, thus explaining an apparent climatic lag. Using data from 1,409 vegetation plots in European and North American temperate forests, each surveyed at least twice over an interval of 12–67 y, we document significant thermophilization of ground-layer plant communities. These changes reflect concurrent declines in species adapted to cooler conditions and increases in species adapted to warmer conditions. However, thermophilization, particularly the increase of warm-adapted species, is attenuated in forests whose canopies have become denser, probably reflecting cooler growing-season ground temperatures via increased shading. As standing stocks of trees have increased in many temperate forests in recent decades, local microclimatic effects may commonly be moderating the impacts of macroclimate warming on forest understories. Conversely, increases in harvesting woody biomass—e.g., for bioenergy—may open forest canopies and accelerate thermophilization of temperate forest biodiversity.
