Symposium # 2: Stressors in Western Mountain Ecosystems: Detecting Change and Its Consequences.

Organized by: D. L. Peterson and L. J. Graumlich.
Sponsored by: Public Affairs Committee.
Sunday, August 6, 2000
8:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Ballroom II - Cliff Lodge

Mountain ecosystems are experiencing increased levels of stress due to a variety of human impacts. Mountains of the western United States have been intensively used for habitation and resource extraction for the past century, and are now beginning to exhibit quantifiable signs of altered ecosystem patterns and processes. This symposium focuses on stressors that significantly impact mountain ecosystems, specifically: climatic variability, altered disturbance regimes, exotic species, air pollution, and human land use. These stressors are currently being studied through long-term research and monitoring programs in the western United States, but the results have not been reported concurrently. Each speaker in the symposium will address specific stressors and their effects for the major Western mountain ranges (Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Rockies). The result will be a state-of-the-art synthesis that melds the basic science underlying characterization of stress impacts with the applications of this knowledge for the design of detection strategies. The symposium will highlight long-term studies, and will provide a framework for evaluating the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to stress.