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Ecological Responses and Interactions with Drought in the Southwestern United States

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Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

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Abstract

The effects of droughts on ecological systems can be dramatic with wholesale change to biotic community composition and marked alterations in ecosystem functioning that may be sustained after drought conditions are alleviated. Several recent advances in understanding ecological responses to drought are leading to improved theories of ecosystem functioning and the coupling between ecosystems and societies. An ecohydrological framework provides a comprehensive approach to understanding these effects through the coupling between ecological and hydrological processes. A key feature of many ecohydrological systems is their characteristic pulsed behaviors in response to moisture variability. An ecosystem services framework has recently been developed that can help quantify the potential impacts of droughts on society. By evaluating ecosystem services in the context of their required water uses, the effects of droughts can be better quantified and potentially mitigated. These paired frameworks of ecohydrology and ecosystem services are used to better understand historic, current and, likely, future consequences of droughts in the southwestern United States.

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Acknowledgments

The ideas on separating droughts into domain-specific components were inspired by my participation in the ESA-sponsored Millennium Conference in 2009. I appreciate the invitation and encouragement of Kurt Schwabe and Ariel Dinar for my participation in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA

    G. Darrel Jenerette

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  1. G. Darrel Jenerette
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Correspondence to G. Darrel Jenerette .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, University Avenue 900, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    Kurt Schwabe

  2. CITA-DGA, Department of Agricultural Economics, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre, Avenida Montañana 930, Zaragoza, 50059, Spain

    Jose Albiac

  3. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems – Urrbrae, Waite Road, Glen Osmond, 5064, South Australia, Australia

    Jeffery D. Connor

  4. Centre for Environmental Economics and P, Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Rashid M. Hassan

  5. , Department of Economics, Ibero-American University, Prolongacion Paseo de la Reforma 880, Mexico City, 01219, Distrito Federal, Mexico

    Liliana Meza González

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Jenerette, G.D. (2013). Ecological Responses and Interactions with Drought in the Southwestern United States. In: Schwabe, K., Albiac, J., Connor, J., Hassan, R., Meza González, L. (eds) Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6636-5_10

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