What is the differential sensitivity of ecosystems to warming?

The effect of global warming on ecosystem functioning results from the product of the rate of warming and the ecosystem sensitivity to a unit of warming.

(1) Warming Effects on Ecosystem Functioning = Ecosystem Sensitivity * Rate of Warming

Here, we define ecosystem sensitivity as the degree of change in ecosystem functioning per unit of warming; and we separate the degree of warming from the ecosystem response. In the past, the focus has been on the degree of warming assuming that all ecosystems were equally responsive to warming. Consequently, we expected that ecosystems that would warm the most would change the most. However, are all ecosystems equally sensitive to warming? Are arid ecosystems more sensitive than mesic ecosystems? Are ecosystems in lower latitudes more sensitive than ecosystems in higher latitudes? If so, the expected higher warming of higher latitudes may be offset by lower sensitivity. There is a major gap in our understanding of ecosystem sensitivity to warming at the continental scale because experimental studies lack full geographical coverage.

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