Long-distance plant dispersal and habitat fragmentation: identifying conservation targets for spatial landscape planning under climate change

Recent climate change is altering the migratory behaviour of many bird species. An advancement in the timing of spring events and a shift in the geographical distribution have been detected for birds around the world. In particular, intra-Palearctic migratory birds have advanced arrivals in spring and shortened migratory distances by shifting northward their wintering grounds. These changes in migratory patterns are considered adaptive responses facilitating the adjustment of the life cycle to the phenological changes found in their breeding areas. However, in some cases, populations exposed to the same selective pressures do not show any appreciable adaptive change in their behaviour. Basing on the comparison of realized and non-realized adaptive changes, I propose here the formulation of a qualitative model that predicts the potential of migratory birds populations to change adaptively their migratory behaviour. The model assumes that the adaptive potential of migratory behaviour is fuelled by both genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity. Populations of long-distance migrants are exposed to strong environmental canalization that largely eroded their phenotypic plasticity and reduced genetic variability, so that they show a very low amount of adaptive potential regarding migratory behaviour. On the contrary, partial-migrant populations have a highly varied genetic profile and are more plastic at the phenotypic level, and consequently show the highest amount of adaptive potential. Species with mainly social and mainly genetic determination of the migratory behaviour are separately treated in the model. Specific empirical models to foresee the adaptive strategies of wild bird populations that face to climate change can be derived from the general theoretical model. As example, a specific model about the shortening of migratory distances in Western European migratory bird is presented. Finally, a number of future research lines on the topic of adaptive potential of migratory behaviour are discussed, including some examples of concrete study cases. In conclusion, partial-migration emerge as the less known system and future research efforts on this topic are expected to be especially fruitful.

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Flight range, fuel load and the impact of climate change on the journeys of migrant birds

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2017.2329 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 285 (1873) ◽

pp. 20172329 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Christine Howard ◽

Philip A. Stephens ◽

Joseph A. Tobias ◽

Catherine Sheard ◽

Stuart H. M. Butchart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Bird Species ◽

Climate Impact ◽

Fuel Load ◽

Migratory Species ◽

Long Distance ◽

Avian Flight ◽

Flight Range ◽

Combine Information ◽

The Impact

Climate change is predicted to increase migration distances for many migratory species, but the physiological and temporal implications of longer migratory journeys have not been explored. Here, we combine information about species' flight range potential and migratory refuelling requirements to simulate the number of stopovers required and the duration of current migratory journeys for 77 bird species breeding in Europe. Using tracking data, we show that our estimates accord with recorded journey times and stopovers for most species. We then combine projections of altered migratory distances under climate change with models of avian flight to predict future migratory journeys. We find that 37% of migratory journeys undertaken by long-distance migrants will necessitate an additional stopover in future. These greater distances and the increased number of stops will substantially increase overall journey durations of many long-distance migratory species, a factor not currently considered in climate impact studies.

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Impact of climate change and industrialization on remote Lake Bolshoe Toko, Siberia

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10887 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Boris K. Biskaborn ◽

Biljana Narancic ◽

Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽

Lyudmila A. Pestryakova ◽

Peter G. Appleby ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Deep Water ◽

Boreal Lakes ◽

Sediment Geochemistry ◽

Long Distance ◽

Lake Ecosystems ◽

Planktonic Diatoms ◽

Recent Climate Change ◽

Recent Climate ◽

Remote Lake

To test if recent climate change and pollution affected remote lake ecosystems without direct human influence, we used paleolimnological methods on lake sediments from a large, prestine, and deep lake in Yakutia, Russia. We compared diatoms and sediment-geochemistry from before and after the onset of industrialization in the mid-nineteenth century, at water depths between 12.1 and 68.3 m in Lake Bolshoe Toko. We analyzed diatom species changes and geochemical changes including mercury concentrations. Chronologies were established using 210Pb and 137Cs revealing sedimentation rates between 0.018 and 0.033 cm y-1 at shallow- and deep-water sites, respectively. Increase in light planktonic diatoms (Cyclotella) and decrease in heavily silicified euplanktonic Aulacoseira through time at deep-water sites can be related to warming air temperatures and shorter periods of lake-ice cover, causing pronounced thermal stratification. Diatom beta diversity changed only significantly in shallow-water communities which can be related to the development of new habitats with macrophyte growth. Mercury concentrations increased by a factor of 1.6 as a result of atmospheric fallout. Increases in the chrysophyte Mallomonas indicates a trend towards acidification. We conclude that also remote boreal lakes are susceptible to human-induced long-distance pollution and recent climate change.

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Is There an Equivalence between Measures of Landscape Structural and Functional Connectivity for Plants in Conservation Assessments of the Cerrado?

Land ◽

10.3390/land9110459 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 459

Author(s):

Thais Martins Issii ◽

Erico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva ◽

Carlos Tomás López de Pablo ◽

Rozely Ferreira dos Santos ◽

Elisa Hardt

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Empirical Data ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Structural Connectivity ◽

Long Distance ◽

Dispersal Capacity ◽

Plant Dispersal ◽

Optimal Resource ◽

History Of ◽

Conservation Assessments

Landscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural measures. Comparisons between these approaches can improve decision-making processes for the conservation or restoration of habitats in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. This study aimed to understand the correspondence between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for Cerrado plants. Three landscapes with cerradão patches in a pasture matrix were selected for the application of these metrics based on the functional connectivity of four profiles of plant dispersal capacity. The results showed divergent interpretations between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity, indicating that the assessment of biodiversity conservation and landscape connectivity is dependent on the set of metrics chosen. Structurally, the studied landscapes had the same number of cerradão patches but varied in optimal resource availability, isolation, heterogeneity, and aggregation. Functional connectivity was low for all profiles (based on the integral index of connectivity—IIC) and null for species with a low dispersal capacity (based on the connectance index—CONNECT), indicating that species with a medium- to long-distance dispersal capacity may be less affected by the history of losses and fragmentation of the Cerrado in the pasture matrix. The functional connectivity metrics used allowed a more robust analysis and, apparently, better reflected reality, but the lack of empirical data on dispersal capacity and the difficulty in choosing an indicator organism can limit their use in the management and planning of conservation and restoration areas.

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Practical tool for landscape planning? An empirical investigation of network based models of habitat fragmentation

Ecography ◽

10.1111/j.1600-0587.2008.05435.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 123-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Erik Andersson ◽

Örjan Bodin

Keyword(s):

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Empirical Investigation ◽

Landscape Planning ◽

Practical Tool

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Climate change relaxes the time constraints for late-born offspring in a long-distance migrant

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.1366 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1839) ◽

pp. 20161366 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Barbara M. Tomotani ◽

Phillip Gienapp ◽

Domien G. M. Beersma ◽

Marcel E. Visser

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Annual Cycle ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Time Constraints ◽

Long Distance ◽

Hatch Date ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

And Migration

Animals in seasonal environments need to fit their annual-cycle stages, such as moult and migration, in a tight schedule. Climate change affects the phenology of organisms and causes advancements in timing of these annual-cycle stages but not necessarily at the same rates. For migratory birds, this can lead to more severe or more relaxed time constraints in the time from fledging to migration, depending on the relative shifts of the different stages. We tested how a shift in hatch date, which has advanced due to climate change, impacts the organization of the birds' whole annual cycle. We experimentally advanced and delayed the hatch date of pied flycatcher chicks in the field and then measured the timing of their annual-cycle stages in a controlled laboratory environment. Hatch date affected the timing of moult and pre-migratory fattening, but not migration. Early-born birds hence had a longer time to fatten up than late-born ones; the latter reduced their interval between onset of fattening and migration to be able to migrate at the same time as the early-born birds. This difference in time constraints for early- and late-born individuals may explain why early-born offspring have a higher probability to recruit as a breeding bird. Climate change-associated advancements of avian egg-lay dates, which in turn advances hatch dates, can thus reduce the negative fitness consequences of reproducing late, thereby reducing the selection for early egg-laying migratory birds.

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