Global Change Biology

Global Change Biology exists to promote understanding of the interface between all aspects of current environmental change that affects a substantial part of the globe and biological systems.

The journal publishes primary research articles, technical advances, research reviews, commentaries and letters.

Global Change Biology defines global change as any consistent trend in the environment - past, present or projected - that affects a substantial part of the globe. Examples include:

• rising tropospheric ozone, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide concentrations
• increasing UV-B irradiation
• global climate change
• biological sinks and sources of atmospheric trace gases
• eutrophication
• land use change
• loss of biodiversity
• biological feedback on climate change
• biological mitigation for atmospheric change

Click on the linked words to view all papers in Global Change Biology on that topic

A subscription to Global Change Biology now includes sister journal GCB Bioenergy! Don't miss out recommend to your library today!

F1000 Faculty Members Eric Post recommends the Global Change Biology article 'Rapid loss of glacial ice reveals stream community assembly processes' Click here to read the review.

F1000 Faculty Members Andrew Baird and Joana Figueiredo recommends the Global Change Biology article 'Increasing ocean temperatures allow tropical fishes to survive overwinter in temperate waters' Click here to read the review.

F1000 Faculty Member Barry Brook recommends the Global Change Biology article 'Interactions between climate and habitat loss effects on biodiversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis' Click here to read the review.

Global Change Biologyfrequently features in the news - here's the latest:

The article: Natural variation and the capacity to adapt to ocean acidification in the keystone sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was featured by eScienceNews

The article: CO2 emissions from land-use change affected more by nitrogen cycle, than by the choice of land-cover data was featured in the news by Nature.

The article: CO2 fertilization and enhanced drought resistance in Greek firs from Cephalonia Island, Greece was featured by CO2 Science.

The article: Annual Plants Change in Size Over a Century of Observations was featured by FoxReno.

The article: The impact of climate change measured at relevant spatial scales: new hope for tropical lizards was featured by Register.

The article: Coastal retreat and improved water quality mitigate losses of seagrass from sea level rise was featured by PhysOrg.

The article: Rapid climate driven shifts in wintering distributions of three common waterbird species was featured by BBC Science and itv news.

The article: Beyond corals and fish: the effects of climate change on noncoral benthic invertebrates of tropical reefs was featured by UN Chronicle.

The article: Spatial relationship between climatologies and changes in global vegetation activity was featured by Kitsap Sun.

The article: Vulnerability of terrestrial island vertebrates to projected sea level rise was featured by Global Times and Science Blog.

The article: Anthropogenic noise decreases urban songbird diversity and may contribute to homogenization was featured by BBC Science.

Read the winter issue of The Wildlife Professional free to access here. Plus read the featured Global Change Biology article 'The push and pull of climate change causes heterogeneous shifts in avian elevational ranges'.

The article 'Yield vs. Quality trade-offs for wheat in response to carbon dioxide and ozone' was featured by PhysOrg

The article 'Introduced annual grass increases regional fire activity across the arid western USA (1980–2009)' was featured in the news by the BBC

The article 'Warming and drought reduce temperature sensitivity of nitrogen transformations' was featured in the news by PhysOrg

The article 'Caribbean coral diseases: primary transmission or secondary infection?' was featured in the news by the Brevard Times and PhysOrg

The article 'Global warming threatens the persistence of Mediterranean brown trout' was featured in the news by PhysOrg and Environmental Protection.

The article 'Bio-energetics underpins the spatial response of North Sea plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) and sole (Solea solea L.) to climate change' was featured by the online news site PhysOrg.

The article 'Modeling the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of deforestation-driven carbon emissions: the INPE-EM framework applied to the Brazilian Amazon' was featured in the news by Nature and Mongabay.

The article 'Marine invertebrate skeleton size varies with latitude, temperature and carbonate saturation: implications for global change and ocean acidification' has been featured by the following news sites: French Tribune, Mother Nature Network, Public Service Europe, Examiner, Futurity, Global Adventures, Global Post, PhysOrg, Reuters

The review article 'Effects of climate warming on polar bears: a review of the evidence' was featured by the Edmonton Journal. Read the press release.

The article 'Soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and storage throughout the soil profile in a sweetgum plantation after 11 years of CO2-enrichment
' was featured by CO2 Science. Read the press release.

Climate change exposes polar bears to more pollutants
It is very challenging to assess ecosystem change in remote environments like the arctic seas. Melissa A. McKinney and her coauthors used polar bear diets as an indicator of ecosystem change off the coast of East Greenland. Dietary intake shifted from mainly arctic seals to mainly subarctic seals over the past three decades. The shift was related to climate fluctuations, implying links to global climate change. Levels of persistent organic pollutants in the bear’s tissues declined more slowly as a result of this shift towards feeding on more contaminated prey. These findings indicate substantial changes in the East Greenland marine ecosystem with potential health consequences.

Early View Article

A change in global nitrous oxide estimates
Nitrous oxide, an important greenhouse gas, is increasing in Earth's atmosphere at about 0.4%/yr. Nitrous oxide is derived from various sources, primarily agricultural soils. Some nitrous oxide is consumed (destroyed) by soil microbes. A Commentary by William H. Schlesinger provides an estimate of nitrous oxide removal from Earth's atmosphere, amounting to about 2% of current estimated annual emissions.

Early View Article

Nitrogen and warming impact subarctic phytoplankton
Large areas over tens or hundreds of meters will experience temperature variations in many different locations and these variations may help lessen climate-change impact on species distributions. However, we know little about the effects that small and local temperature variations across a large geographical area may have on species. Using temperature estimates from a large, high-quality database on plant communities, Jonathan Lenoir and coauthors were able to provide the first broad-scale assessment of small-scale temperature differences across a wide change of terrains. They determine that even flat terrains may provide local refuge for species to cope with rapid climate change.

Early View Article