Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
the.text..John.Hopkins,.Ilya.Maclean,.and.the.2009.class.of.module.BIOM4012.at.
the.University.of.Exeter.provided.useful.thoughts.on.the.conservation.implications.
of.elevational.range.shifts.
SUMMARY
Climate.warming.is.causing.species.distributions.to.shift.to.higher.latitudes.and.ele-
vations..Until.recently,.poleward.shifts.were.more.widely.documented.than.upslope.
movements,.but.there.is.now.convincing.evidence.that.species.are.also.shifting.their.
ranges.to.higher.elevations..Depending.on.the.type.of.data.and.analysis,.it.has.been.
possible.to.show.uphill.shifts.in.the.lower.limits,.upper.limits,.or.average.elevations.of.
species'.ranges,.which.are.robust.to.changes.in.sampling.effort.over.time..Likewise,.
there.is.evidence.from.many.studies.that.climate.change,.rather.than.direct.habitat.
modiication,.is.likely.to.be.the.main.driver.of.the.observed.changes..Comparison.
of.observed.rates.of.uphill.range.shifts.with.rates.of.climate.warming.suggest.negli-
gible.time.lags.between.climate.warming.and.extinction.at.warm.margins.(trailing.
edges).of.species.distributions..Expansions.at.the.upslope.limits.(leading.edges).can.
also.occur.rapidly,.but.may.be.constrained.by.the.availability.of.suitable.habitats,.or.
by.maximum.regional.elevations..A.number.of.empirical.studies.have.begun.to.pin-
point.the.mechanisms.that.determine.rates.and.limitations.to.elevation.range.shifts..
These.mechanistic.studies,.combined.with.observed.changes.to.species.distributions,.
provide.empirical.support.for.models.that.suggest.pronounced.consequences.for.bio-
diversity.. Here,. we. review. recent. evidence. for. uphill. species. range. shifts,. before.
considering.the.information.that.will.be.needed.and.the.approaches.that.can.be.taken.
to.predict.the.future.effects.of.climate.change.and.the.consequences.for.biodiversity.
and.conservation.
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