Dr. Curtin said scientists had generally concluded that only some ecosystems could support long-term grazing.
And the hot-spot concept does not factor in the importance of some ecosystems to human beings, the scientists argue.
Soundscape ecologists hope they can save some ecosystems, but they also realize they will bear witness to many finales.
Soil fauna consumes substantial amounts of litter and can even consume the entire annual litterfall in some ecosystems.
Some conservationists advocate triage, accepting that some ecosystems, like coral reefs, may not survive in a warmer world, and putting their efforts elsewhere.
But its dominance may disrupt the balance of some ecosystems through cascading effects as a consequence of changes in interactions between species.
As expected, the simulated drought proved catastrophic for some ecosystems and farming communities, with the greatest impact being felt in the agricultural heartland of the Central Valley.
In fact, some ecosystems created by humans might offer us a tool to fight climate change, which brings us back to the Valley of the Sun.
Beyond that point, the Greenland ice sheet could go into irreversible meltdown, some ecosystems collapse, billions suffer from water stress, and droughts start to threaten global food supplies.
The researchers found that in the fast-rising and overshooting scenarios, some ecosystems would likely be stretched beyond their ability to adapt to rising temperatures.
"Studies in some ecosystems have shown that well-managed grazing can keep invasive grasses from shading out the flowering herbs that native pollinators rely on," Huntsinger said.
