Assisted migration as a climate change adaptation strategy: lessons from restoration and plant reintroductions

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pati Vitt ◽  
Pairsa N. Belmaric ◽  
Riley Book ◽  
Melissa Curran
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Assisted Migration ◽  
The Face ◽  
Plant Reintroductions

Climate change is thought to threaten between 25% and 50% of global plant biodiversity. In response to this looming crisis, the calls for the translocation, or assisted migration, of species to ensure the survival of this biodiversity have been increasing. The concept has its detractors, and is not without risk, but few studies have documented the success of the approach or veracity of the risk. Here we review both the ecological restoration literature and the plant reintroduction literature to discover insights into the promises and pitfalls of translocating species as an adaptation strategy in the face of our changing climate. Although habitat restoration and the assisted migration of rare plant species have different objectives and goals, they share the practice of translocating species from their site of origin to a new one. It is primarily the scale at which the movement of those species occurs that distinguishes the two.

scholarly journals Widespread variation in heat tolerance and symbiont load are associated with growth tradeoffs in the coral Acropora hyacinthus in Palau

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Cornwell ◽  
Katrina Armstrong ◽  
Nia S Walker ◽  
Marilla Lippert ◽  
Victor Nestor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Natural Resistance ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Coral Reef Resilience ◽  
The Face ◽  
Lower Growth Rate ◽  
Acropora Hyacinthus ◽  
The Cost

Climate change is dramatically changing ecosystem composition and productivity, leading scientists to consider the best approaches to map natural resistance and foster ecosystem resilience in the face of these changes. Here we present results from a large-scale experimental assessment of coral bleaching resistance, a critical trait for coral population persistence as oceans warm, in 221 colonies of the coral Acropora hyacinthus across 37 reefs in Palau. We find that bleaching resistant individuals inhabit most reefs but are found more often in warmer microhabitats. Our survey also found wide variation in symbiont concentration among colonies, and that colonies with lower symbiont load tended to be more bleaching resistant. By contrast, our data show that low symbiont load comes at the cost of lower growth rate, a tradeoff that may operate widely among corals across environments. Corals with high bleaching resistance have been suggested as a source for habitat restoration or selective breeding in order to increase coral reef resilience to climate change. Our maps show where these resilience corals can be found, but the existence of tradeoffs with heat resistance may suggest caution in unilateral use of this one trait in restoration.

scholarly journals The effects of hybridization on the small-scale variation in seed-bank composition of a rare plant species, Erica ciliaris L.

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Pure Species ◽  
Forestry Plantations

AbstractThe size and composition of the seed bank of a rare species (Erica ciliaris L.) was analysed. E. ciliaris hybridizes with a common relative in southern England (Erica tetralix). The seed banks of these co-occurring species were measured at a number of sites with a range of vegetation types and different management histories. Additional sets of samples were taken from forestry plantations on former heathland sites, where these species were known to occur. Relatively few hybrid seedlings were found in any of the seed-bank samples, even though their vegetative abundance within the sampling areas was equal to that of the pure plants. However, the abundance in the vegetation of the two pure species was reflected in the seed-bank size on each of the vegetation types, both with and without burning management. The seed banks from the forestry plantations show that the numbers of seeds of both E. tetralix and the hybrid were depleted, but that the seed bank of E. ciliaris was not significantly different from that of open heathland seed banks. The long-lived nature of the seed bank indicates that there are opportunities for habitat restoration on former heathland sites.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants and Ethnomedicine in Peril: A Case Study from Nepal Himalaya

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ripu M. Kunwar ◽  
Mina Lamichhane Pandey ◽  
Laxmi Mahat Kunwar ◽  
Ananta Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Medicinal Plant Species ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Nepal Himalaya ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The impacts of climate change were severe on indigenous medicinal plant species and their dependent communities. The harvesting calendar and picking sites of these species were no longer coinciding and the changes were affecting harvesters’ and cultivators’ abilities to collect and use those species. Secondary sites: road-heads, wastelands, regenerated forests, and so forth, were being prioritized for collection and the nonindigenous medicinal plant species were being increasingly introduced into the medical repertoire as a substitution and to diversify the local medicinal stock. Acceptance and application of nonindigenous species and sites for livelihood and ethnopharmacopoeias with caution were considered as an important adaptation strategy. Findings on species and site specific accounts urged further researches on medicinal plants, ethnomedicine, and their interrelationship with impacts of climate change.

Plants on the move: Assisted migration of forest trees in the face of climate change

2015 ◽  
Vol 344 ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz E. Koralewski ◽  
Hsiao-Hsuan Wang ◽  
William E. Grant ◽  
Thomas D. Byram
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Assisted Migration ◽  
The Face

scholarly journals Widespread variation in heat tolerance of the coral Acropora hyacinthus spanning variable thermal regimes across Palau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Cornwell ◽  
Katrina Hounchell ◽  
Nia Walker ◽  
Yimnang Golbuu ◽  
Victor Nestor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Experimental Assessment ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Thermal Regimes ◽  
The Face ◽  
Acropora Hyacinthus ◽  
Population Resilience

ABSTRACTClimate change is poised to dramatically change ecosystem composition and productivity, leading scientists to consider the best approaches to fostering population resilience and diversity in the face of these changes. Here we present results of a large-scale experimental assessment of bleaching resistance, a critical trait for coral population persistence as oceans warm, in 293 colonies of the coral Acropora hyacinthus across 39 reefs in Palau. We find bleaching resistant individuals originate significantly more often from warmer reefs, although they inhabit almost every reef regardless of temperature at low frequency. High levels of variation within reefs, where colonies experience similar temperatures, suggests that bleaching resistance is not solely due to phenotypic plasticity, but also involves adaptive alleles and host-symbiont interactions. To the extent that it is heritable, bleaching resistance could be used in promoting nursery growth, habitat restoration, or breeding, while employing large numbers of resistant colonies to preserve genetic variation.

scholarly journals Undocumented migration in response to climate change

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael J. Nawrotzki ◽  
Fernando Riosmena ◽  
Lori M. Hunter ◽  
Daniel M. Runfola
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Border Crossings ◽  
Undocumented Migration ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Face ◽  
Rural Mexico ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Warm Spell

In the face of climate change-induced economic uncertainties, households may em-ploy migration as an adaptation strategy to diversify their livelihood portfolio through remit-tances. However, it is unclear whether such climate-related migration will be documented or undocumented. In this study we combined detailed migration histories with daily temperature and precipitation information from 214 weather stations to investigate whether climate change more strongly impacted undocumented or documented migrations from 68 rural Mexican mu-nicipalities to the U.S. from 1986−1999. We employed two measures of climate change, the warm spell duration index (WSDI) and precipitation during extremely wet days (R99PTOT). Results from multi-level event-history models demonstrated that climate-related international migration from rural Mexico was predominantly undocumented. We conclude that programs to facilitate climate change adaptations in rural Mexico may be more effective in reducing undo-cumented border crossings than increasing border fortification.

scholarly journals Food Security in the Face of Climate Change: Potential Roles of Underutilised Plant Species around Some Rural Homesteads in the Niger Delta

2018 ◽  
Vol 09 (03) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Elsie I. Hamadina ◽  
Mohammed K. Hamadina ◽  
Tamunobelema B. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
The Face

scholarly journals Planning for climate change through additions to a national protected area network: implications for cost and configuration

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1794) ◽  
pp. 20190117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Lawler ◽  
D. Scott Rinnan ◽  
Julia L. Michalak ◽  
John C. Withey ◽  
Christopher R. Randels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Reserve Network ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Conservation Plans ◽  
The Cost

Expanding the network of protected areas is a core strategy for conserving biodiversity in the face of climate change. Here, we explore the impacts on reserve network cost and configuration associated with planning for climate change in the USA using networks that prioritize areas projected to be climatically suitable for 1460 species both today and into the future, climatic refugia and areas likely to facilitate climate-driven species movements. For 14% of the species, networks of sites selected solely to protect areas currently climatically suitable failed to provide climatically suitable habitat in the future. Protecting sites climatically suitable for species today and in the future significantly changed the distribution of priority sites across the USA—increasing relative protection in the northeast, northwest and central USA. Protecting areas projected to retain their climatic suitability for species cost 59% more than solely protecting currently suitable areas. Including all climatic refugia and 20% of areas that facilitate climate-driven movements increased the cost by another 18%. Our results indicate that protecting some types of climatic refugia may be a relatively inexpensive adaptation strategy. Moreover, although addressing climate change in conservation plans will have significant implications for the configuration of networks, the increased cost of doing so may be relatively modest. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions’.

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