Long-term ecological impacts of springtime extreme temperature fluctuations

Extreme climate and weather events such as droughts, heat waves, cold waves, large spring temperature fluctuations and floods are among the most devastating natural disasters for mankind, wildlife and vegetation. Their sudden occurrences have frequently led to downfall of prosperous dynasties as well as fundamental shifts in structures and functions of ecosystems that persist long after their often short but lethal initial strike. Springtime extreme weather events are particularly interesting because they occur during the crucial time when biological activities and environmental conditions are most sensitively coupled. In this paper, we will give an overview on the ecological significance of springtime extreme temperature fluctuations. We will use the 2007 Easter Freeze as a case study to show how such a short but extreme temperature disturbance could have sustained impacts on the structures and functions on every level of forest ecosystem hierarchies.