Register

This SERDP and ESTCP webinar focuses on DoD-funded research efforts to understand the effects of multiple stressors on marine mammals and terrestrial species. Specifically, investigators will discuss advancing the understanding of the cumulative risk of multiple stressors on marine mammals, and exploring the nature, drivers, and impacts of interactions among multiple stressors affecting at-risk species.

Abstracts

“Towards an Understanding of the Cumulative Effects of Multiple Stressors on Marine Mammals: An Interdisciplinary Working Group with Case Studies” by Dr. Enrico Pirotta (RC20-1097)

Wildlife populations are exposed to an expanding diversity of anthropogenic stressors within the context of climate change and natural processes. Assessing cumulative effects is required by many jurisdictions, but available science is not adequate to meet regulatory requirements. The overall goal of this project is to advance understanding of the cumulative risk of multiple stressors on marine mammals through an interdisciplinary working group and a series of case studies. Our conceptual framework uses health indicators to accumulate short-term effects and to estimate their impact on survival and reproduction. The framework is applied to North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris; led by UCSC under a separate award). These case studies are demonstrating the benefits of long-term monitoring and the ability to measure health indicators. To this purpose, we are also exploring the use of epigenetics as a new technology to assess stressor exposure and health. The project develops new theory, measures, and data, which will inform the environmental impact assessments that DoD must submit for the potential impact of its activities, particularly Navy sonar use, on marine mammal populations exposed to a wide range of other stressors.

“Forecasting Multiple Stressor Impacts on Terrestrial Species Using Scenario-Based Modeling” by Dr. Joshua Lawler (RC22-3437)

At-risk species often face multiple, interacting stressors. Although many stressors have been studied in isolation, relatively little is known about how interacting stressors affect populations. What evidence does exist cautions against the assumption that most interactions are simply additive in nature. Successfully managing at-risk populations on DoD installations will require an improved understanding of how populations will respond to interacting stressors, particularly as climate change introduces new stressors and modifies existing ones. The overarching objective of this project is to explore the nature, drivers, and impacts of interactions among multiple stressors affecting at-risk populations. To meet this objective, we will answer three more specific questions: (1) How common are non-additive effects of multiple interacting stressors? (2) What factors influence the predictability of multiple stressor interactions? (3) How will stressed populations respond to additional, novel stressors? We are using spatially explicit, individual-based, population models to simulate the potential population-level effects of multiple stressors on five at-risk species. We are simulating populations of the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) and Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) at Fort Cavazos and the Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata), Mazama pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama), and the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Here, we provide preliminary results for two of the five species. These results include the combined effects of a climate-driven range shift, land-use, and an altered fire regime on Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat and the effects of current landscape patterns and multiple alternative restoration and reintroduction scenarios on Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly populations.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Enrico Pirotta is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His work focuses on the behavior, physiology, ecology and life history of marine mammals, and their interactions with human activities. Dr. Pirotta is focused on developing and applying quantitative tools to inform the management and conservation of marine populations in the face of multiple anthropogenic stressors. Since 2020, he has been involved in several projects on the effects of multiple stressors on marine mammals funded by SERDP, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Bureau for Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers and has delivered over 50 presentations and posters. He received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Milan, a postgraduate degree in marine biology from the University of Pisa, and master’s degree in marine mammal science from the University of St. Andrews, and a doctoral degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Dr. Josh Lawler is the Orin and Althea Soest Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the Associated Director of Nature & Health, and the Faculty Director of the UW Botanic Gardens at the University of Washington. He is a landscape ecologist and conservation biologist driven by applied conservation questions and their real-world applications, with much of his work focusing on how anthropogenic factors affect species distributions, animal population dynamics, and community composition at regional and continental scales, as well as how time spent in more natural environments can affect human health. His research involves investigating the effects of climate change on species distributions and populations, exploring the influence of landscape pattern on animal populations and communities, climate-change adaptation for natural and human systems, and multiple aspects of the connections between time spent in nature and mental and physical health. He has published 136 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He served as a lead author on the 3rd U.S. National Climate Assessment and was a contributing author to the IPCC 5th Assessment Report. He received a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, and master’s and doctoral degrees in ecology from Utah State University.