Range Shifts Under Constant-Speed and Accelerated Climate Warming

AbstractClimate change impacts biodiversity and is driving range shifts of species and populations across the globe. To understand the effects of climate warming on biota, long-term observations of the occurrence of species and detailed knowledge on their ecology and life-history is crucial. Mountain species particularly suffer under climate warming and often respond to environmental changes by altitudinal range shifts. We assessed long-term distribution trends of mountain butterflies across the eastern Alps and calculated species’ specific annual range shifts based on field observations and species distribution models, counterbalancing the potential drawbacks of both approaches. We also compiled details on the ecology, behaviour and life-history, and the climate niche of each species assessed. We found that the highest altitudinal maxima were observed recently in the majority of cases, while the lowest altitudes of observations were recorded before 1980. Mobile and generalist species with a broad ecological amplitude tended to move uphill more than specialist and sedentary species. As main drivers we identified climatic conditions and topographic variables, such as insolation and solar irradiation. This study provides important evidence for responses of high mountain taxa to rapid climate change. Our study underlines the advantage of combining historical surveys and museum collection data with cutting-edge analyses.

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Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming

Science ◽

10.1126/science.1206432 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 333 (6045) ◽

pp. 1024-1026 ◽

Cited By ~ 2300

Author(s):

I.-C. Chen ◽

J. K. Hill ◽

R. Ohlemuller ◽

D. B. Roy ◽

C. D. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Range Shifts

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Range shifts or extinction? Ancient DNA and distribution modelling reveal past and future responses to climate warming in cold‐adapted birds

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.13522 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 1425-1435 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Vendela K. Lagerholm ◽

Edson Sandoval‐Castellanos ◽

Amélie Vaniscotte ◽

Olga R. Potapova ◽

Teresa Tomek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Ancient Dna ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Distribution Modelling ◽

Cold Adapted

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Reduced body sizes in climate-impacted Borneo moth assemblages are primarily explained by range shifts

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-019-12655-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chung-Huey Wu ◽

Jeremy D. Holloway ◽

Jane K. Hill ◽

Chris D. Thomas ◽

I-Ching Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Species Range ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Community Size ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Reduced Body ◽

Body Sizes ◽

High Elevations ◽

Length Reduction

Abstract Both community composition changes due to species redistribution and within-species size shifts may alter body-size structures under climate warming. Here we assess the relative contribution of these processes in community-level body-size changes in tropical moth assemblages that moved uphill during a period of warming. Based on resurvey data for seven assemblages of geometrid moths (>8000 individuals) on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, in 1965 and 2007, we show significant wing-length reduction (mean shrinkage of 1.3% per species). Range shifts explain most size restructuring, due to uphill shifts of relatively small species, especially at high elevations. Overall, mean forewing length shrank by ca. 5%, much of which is accounted for by species range boundary shifts (3.9%), followed by within-boundary distribution changes (0.5%), and within-species size shrinkage (0.6%). We conclude that the effects of range shifting predominate, but considering species physiological responses is also important for understanding community size reorganization under climate warming.

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Inconsistent Range Shifts within Species Highlight Idiosyncratic Responses to Climate Warming

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0132103 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. e0132103 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Daniel K. Gibson-Reinemer ◽

Frank J. Rahel

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Range Shifts

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Rapid range shifts of species associated with high levels of climate warming.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.13098956.793510135 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua Lawler

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Range Shifts

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Consistent population declines but idiosyncratic range shifts in Alpine orchids under global change

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-19680-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Costanza Geppert ◽

Giorgio Perazza ◽

Robert J. Wilson ◽

Alessio Bertolli ◽

Filippo Prosser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Global Change ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Range Shift ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Habitat Alteration ◽

European Alps ◽

Population Declines ◽

Rear Edge ◽

Edge Populations

AbstractMountains are plant biodiversity hotspots considered particularly vulnerable to multiple environmental changes. Here, we quantify population changes and range-shift dynamics along elevational gradients over the last three decades for c. two-thirds of the orchid species of the European Alps. Local extinctions were more likely for small populations, after habitat alteration, and predominated at the rear edge of species’ ranges. Except for the most thermophilic species and wetland specialists, population density decreased over time. Declines were more pronounced for rear-edge populations, possibly due to multiple pressures such as climate warming, habitat alteration, and mismatched ecological interactions. Besides these demographic trends, different species exhibited idiosyncratic range shifts with more than 50% of the species lagging behind climate warming. Our study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring of populations and range distributions at fine spatial resolution to be able to fully understand the consequences of global change for orchids.

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Sphex ichneumoneus and Sphex pensylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in Atlantic Canada: evidence of recent range expansion into the region

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v134i1.2413 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 134 (1) ◽

pp. 52-55

Author(s):

Jake H. Lewis

Keyword(s):

New Brunswick ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Range Expansion ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Atlantic Canada ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Regional Diversity ◽

Large Size ◽

Species Responses

The detection of range shifts is an important part of tracking species’ responses to climate warming and anthropogenic disturbance. Here, arguments in support of such change-induced expansion of the thread-waisted wasps, Sphex pensylvanicus and Sphex ichneumoneus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), into Atlantic Canada are made on the basis of collections in southwestern New Brunswick. Despite their large size, bold colouration, and active presence on wildflowers in open areas, no previous records for either species exist from Atlantic Canada. Increases in mean annual temperature, as well as increases in the abundance, regional diversity, and uniformity in the ranges of katydids (Tettigoniidae), the preferred nest provision for both Sphex species, may be promoting northward colonization by Sphex wasps.

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Three-dimensional range shifts in biodiversity driven by recent climate warming

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1034v1 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Haase ◽

Fengqing Li ◽

Andrea Sundermann ◽

Armin Lorenz ◽

Jonathan Tonkin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Benthic Invertebrate ◽

Latitudinal Gradients ◽

Range Shifts ◽

Longitudinal Gradients ◽

Recent Climate ◽

Spatial Dimensions ◽

Terrestrial Environments ◽

Benthic Invertebrate Communities

Studies investigating changes in community composition in response to recent climate warming are mostly restricted to one-dimensional (e.g. latitudinal) gradients, whereas species movements are in reality three dimensional. Based on 3,245 benthic invertebrate samples from Central European streams over large altitudinal, latitudinal and longitudinal gradients, and covering the period 1986-2009, we have developed an advanced community temperature index (CTI). This CTI enables the analysis of three-dimensional community range shifts not only in freshwater but also in marine and terrestrial environments. Overall, and in contrast to terrestrial species, benthic invertebrate communities have been able to keep up with recent climate warming. However, their ability to track temperature shifts differed grossly between the three spatial dimensions, with the strongest response to elevation. Nevertheless, the price these communities had to pay was high, as total benthic invertebrate abundance and richness in low-temperature dwelling species have already declined by 21% and 52.5%, respectively. Our approach has emphasized the complex reaction of species towards increasing temperatures, allowing a more complete picture of the subtle community shifts in response to climate change.

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