Note: Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- 1: Ecosystem Collapse and Climate Change: An Introduction -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Defining Ecosystems Collapse -- 1.3 Observed Dynamics as They Occur -- 1.3.1 Polar and Boreal Ecosystems -- 1.3.2 Temperate and Semi-arid Ecosystems -- 1.3.3 Tropical and Temperate Coastal Ecosystems -- References -- Part I: Polar and Boreal Ecosystems -- 2: Ecosystem Collapse on a Sub-Antarctic Island -- 2.1 Background -- 2.2 The Collapse -- 2.2.1 Former State -- 2.2.2 Progression to the New State -- 2.2.3 Functional Changes -- 2.2.4 Context of the Change -- 2.3 Major Causes -- 2.4 Prognosis and Management Strategies -- 2.5 Wider Context -- References -- 3: Permafrost Thaw in Northern Peatlands: Rapid Changes in Ecosystem and Landscape Functions -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Current Distribution and Characteristics of Peatlands in the Northern Permafrost Region -- 3.2.1 Current Peatland Distribution and Major Regions -- 3.2.2 Peatland Characteristics Across Permafrost Zones -- 3.2.2.1 Peatlands in the Continuous Permafrost Zone -- 3.2.2.2 Peatlands in the Discontinuous Permafrost Zone -- 3.2.2.3 Peatlands in the Sporadic Permafrost Zone -- 3.3 Holocene Development of Peatlands in the Northern Permafrost Region -- 3.3.1 Timing and Mode of Peatland Initiation -- 3.3.2 Timing and Processes of Permafrost Aggradation -- 3.3.3 Holocene Carbon Accumulation in Permafrost Peatlands -- 3.4 Observed Peatland Change Associated with Permafrost Thaw -- 3.4.1 Peatland Change in the Continuous Permafrost Zone -- 3.4.2 Peatland Change in the Discontinuous and Sporadic Permafrost Zones -- 3.5 Implications of Permafrost Thaw -- 3.5.1 Hydrology and Water Quality -- 3.5.2 Ecology and Human Use -- 3.5.3 Carbon Cycling and Greenhouse Gas Exchange -- 3.5.4 Interactions Between Wildfire, Permafrost Thaw, and Peatland Carbon Balance -- 3.6 Conclusions. , References -- 4: Post-fire Recruitment Failure as a Driver of Forest to Non-forest Ecosystem Shifts in Boreal Regions -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Role of Fire in Boreal Forests -- 4.2.1 Post-fire Recruitment Dynamics -- 4.2.2 Post-fire Recruitment Failure -- 4.2.3 A Case Study of Post-fire Recruitment Failure in Southern Siberia -- 4.3 Drivers of Change in the Boreal Forest Zone -- 4.3.1 Climate Change -- 4.3.1.1 Climate Change and Increases in the Fire Regime -- 4.3.1.2 Climate Change and Decreased Ecosystem Resilience -- 4.3.2 Management and Human Influence -- 4.3.2.1 Forest Management and the Fire Regime -- 4.4 Measuring the Scale of the Problem -- 4.4.1 Disturbance Detection -- 4.4.2 Large-Scale Trends in Vegetation -- 4.4.3 Detecting Post-fire Recruitment Failure -- 4.4.4 Post-fire Recruitment Failure and the Prediction of Future Climate -- 4.5 Future Management -- References -- 5: A Paleo-perspective on Ecosystem Collapse in Boreal North America -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Ecosystem Collapse During the Late Pleistocene -- 5.2.1 Abrupt Climatic Changes -- 5.2.2 Human Disturbance -- 5.3 Ecosystem Building During Early- to Mid-Holocene -- 5.3.1 Creation of the Boreal Forest Environment -- 5.3.2 Peatland Expansion -- 5.3.3 Southern Conifer Forest and Insects -- 5.4 Ecosystem Collapse After the Mid-Holocene -- 5.4.1 Ecosystem Collapse in the Northern Part of the Boreal Forest -- 5.4.1.1 Climate-Fire Interactions -- 5.4.1.2 Collateral Effects of Forest Collapse -- 5.4.1.3 Extensive Collapse of Woodlands During the Little Ice Age -- 5.4.1.4 Wetland Ecosystem Collapse -- 5.4.1.5 Changing Water Levels of Subarctic Lakes and Rivers -- 5.4.2 Ecosystem Collapse in the Southern Part of the Boreal Forest -- 5.4.2.1 Shift of Closed-Crown Forests to Woodlands -- 5.4.2.2 Microclimatic Signatures of Closed-Crown Forests and Woodlands. , 5.5 Present Post-Little Ice Age Warming and Ecosystem Collapse and Recovery -- 5.5.1 Tree Line Advance, Regeneration and Consolidation of Pre-existing Forests of the Forest-Tundra Ecotone -- 5.5.2 Shrubification of the Northern Part of the Boreal Biome -- 5.5.3 Collapse and Recovery of Wetland and Riparian Ecosystems -- 5.6 Lessons Learned from the Past to Anticipate the Future -- References -- Part II: Temperate and Semi-arid Ecosystems -- 6: The 2016 Tasmanian Wilderness Fires: Fire Regime Shifts and Climate Change in a Gondwanan Biogeographic Refugium -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 The 2016 Wilderness Fires -- 6.2.1 2016 Fire Impacts on A. cupressoides Populations -- 6.3 Persistence of A. cupressoides Under Climate Change -- 6.4 Broader Ecological Impacts -- 6.5 Anthropocene Management Responses -- 6.6 Conclusions -- References -- 7: Climate-Induced Global Forest Shifts due to Heatwave-Drought -- 7.1 Overview of Forest Mortality Episodes at the Global Scale -- 7.2 Causes of Forest Mortality by Drought -- 7.3 Historical Perspective of Forest Shifts -- 7.4 Abrupt Forest Mortality Events and Ecosystem Trajectory -- 7.4.1 General Trends -- 7.4.2 Cases of Forest Collapse and Its Relation with Management -- 7.5 Enhancing Resilience -- 7.5.1 Water Demand Strategy -- 7.5.2 Population and Biodiversity-Based Strategies -- 7.5.3 Disturbance Regime-Based Strategy: Wildfires -- 7.6 Future Prognosis of Forest Collapse -- 7.7 Conclusion -- References -- 8: Extreme Events Trigger Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystem Collapses in the Southwestern USA and Southwestern Australia -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.1.1 Progressively Intense Ecological Stresses: From Drought to Warming to Heatwaves -- 8.1.2 Legacy Effects, Disturbance Interactions, and Order of Events -- 8.1.3 Ecosystem Collapses in Southwestern Australia and the USA -- 8.2 Southwestern USA Case Study. , 8.2.1 Terrestrial Drivers and Ecosystem Responses in the Southwestern USA -- 8.2.2 Marine Drivers and Ecosystem Responses in Southwestern USA -- 8.3 Southwestern Australian Case Study -- 8.3.1 Terrestrial Drivers and Ecosystem Responses in Southwestern Australia -- 8.3.2 Marine Drivers and Ecosystem Responses in Southwestern Australia -- 8.4 Ecological Implications -- 8.4.1 Prognosis for the Future -- 8.5 Managing Ecosystem Collapse and Future Research -- References -- Part III: Tropical and Temperate Coastal Ecosystems -- 9: Processes and Factors Driving Change in Mangrove Forests: An Evaluation Based on the Mass Dieback Event in Australia´s Gulf... -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Dynamic Processes Influencing Tidal Wetlands and Mangroves -- 9.2.1 Level 1: Global Setting of Tidal Wetlands: Site Geomorphology, Sea Level and Climate -- 9.2.2 Level 2: Composition of Dominant Vegetation Types of Tidal Wetlands: Regional Influences of Temperature and Rainfall -- 9.2.3 Level 3: Sustainable Turnover and Replenishment of Mangrove Forests: Small-Scale, Natural Disturbance Driving Forest Re-... -- 9.2.4 Level 4: Severe Drivers of Change and Replacement of Tidal Wetland Habitat: Large-Scale Disturbance-Recovery Dynamics In... -- 9.3 Climate and Natural Drivers of Key Environmental Changes Along Mangrove Shorelines -- 9.3.1 Shoreline Erosion and Seafront Retreat: Severe Storms, Sea Level Rise -- 9.3.2 Estuarine Bank Erosion: Flood Events, Sea Level Rise -- 9.3.3 Terrestrial Retreat: Upland Erosion, Sea Level Rise -- 9.3.4 Saltpan Scouring: Pan Erosion, Sea Level Rise -- 9.3.5 Depositional Gain: Flood Events, Sea Level Rise -- 9.3.6 Severe Storm Damage: Mangrove Dieback, Cyclonic Winds, Large Waves -- 9.3.7 Light Gaps: Lightning Strikes, Herbivore Attacks, Mini Tornados. , 9.3.8 Zonal Retreat: Local-Scale Patterns of Single, Dual and Triple Zones of Concurrent Upper Zone Dieback -- 9.4 The Synchronous, Large-Scale Mass Dieback of Mangroves in Australia´s Remote Gulf of Carpentaria -- Box. Mangrove Diversity in the Area of Mass Dieback of Mangroves -- 9.4.1 Likely Causal Factors Observed Along the Impacted Shoreline -- 9.4.2 Linking Specific Factors with the Dieback Event -- 9.4.3 Did Human-Induced Climate Change Play a Role in the 2015-2016 Dieback of Mangroves? -- 9.5 Current Recommendations for Management Strategies -- 9.6 A Regional Mitigation and Monitoring Strategy for Tidal Wetlands -- 9.7 Vulnerability of Impacted Shorelines with Key Risks and Consequences -- References -- 10: Recurrent Mass-Bleaching and the Potential for Ecosystem Collapse on Australia´s Great Barrier Reef -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Considering the Criteria for Collapse of Coral Reefs -- 10.3 Background Trends on the Great Barrier Reef -- 10.4 Climate Change and Mass Coral Bleaching -- 10.5 Is the Great Barrier Reef Collapsing? -- 10.6 Recasting Conservation Goals for Coral Reefs -- References -- 11: Sliding Toward the Collapse of Mediterranean Coastal Marine Rocky Ecosystems -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Marine Heatwaves and Mass Mortality Events in the Mediterranean -- 11.2.1 Sea Surface Thermal Stress Signals in the Cold Northern Mediterranean Areas -- 11.2.2 Subsurface Thermal Stress Signals in the Cold NW Mediterranean -- 11.2.2.1 Subsurface MHWs Amplification -- 11.3 Immediate Impacts, Sublethal Effects, and Recovery of Habitat-Forming Gorgonians from Mass Mortalities Events -- 11.3.1 Immediate Impacts and Sublethal Effects of Mass Mortality Events -- 11.3.1.1 Immediate Impacts -- 11.3.1.2 Sublethal Effects with Long-Term Consequences -- 11.3.2 Recovery Trajectories. , Box 11.1 Description of Demographic and Genetic Features of Octocorals.