Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Individualistic species limitations of climate-induced range expansions generated by meso-scale dispersal barriers
AU - Keith, Sal
AU - Herbert, Roger
AU - Norton, Paul
AU - Hawkins, Stephen
AU - Newton, Adrian
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Aim Evidence indicates that species are responding to climate change through distributional range shifts that track suitable climatic conditions. We aim to elucidate the role of meso-scale dispersal barriers in climate-tracking responses.Location South coast of England (the English Channel).Methods Historical distributional data of four intertidal invertebrate species were logistically regressed against sea surface temperature (SST) to determine a climate envelope. This envelope was used to estimate the expected climate-tracking response since 1990 along the coast, which was compared with observed range expansions. A hydrodynamic modelling approach was used to identify dispersal barriers and explore disparities between expected and observed climate tracking.Results Range shifts detected by field survey over the past 20 years were less than those predicted by the changes that have occurred in SST. Hydrodynamic model simulations indicated that physical barriers produced by complex tidal currents have variably restricted dispersal of pelagic larvae amongst the four species.Main conclusions We provide the first evidence that meso-scale hydrodynamic barriers have limited climate-induced range shifts and demonstrate that life history traits affect the ability of species to overcome such barriers. This suggests that current forecasts may be flawed, both by overestimating range shifts and by underestimating climatic tolerances of species. This has implications for our understanding of climate change impacts on global biodiversity.
AB - Aim Evidence indicates that species are responding to climate change through distributional range shifts that track suitable climatic conditions. We aim to elucidate the role of meso-scale dispersal barriers in climate-tracking responses.Location South coast of England (the English Channel).Methods Historical distributional data of four intertidal invertebrate species were logistically regressed against sea surface temperature (SST) to determine a climate envelope. This envelope was used to estimate the expected climate-tracking response since 1990 along the coast, which was compared with observed range expansions. A hydrodynamic modelling approach was used to identify dispersal barriers and explore disparities between expected and observed climate tracking.Results Range shifts detected by field survey over the past 20 years were less than those predicted by the changes that have occurred in SST. Hydrodynamic model simulations indicated that physical barriers produced by complex tidal currents have variably restricted dispersal of pelagic larvae amongst the four species.Main conclusions We provide the first evidence that meso-scale hydrodynamic barriers have limited climate-induced range shifts and demonstrate that life history traits affect the ability of species to overcome such barriers. This suggests that current forecasts may be flawed, both by overestimating range shifts and by underestimating climatic tolerances of species. This has implications for our understanding of climate change impacts on global biodiversity.
KW - Climate tracking
KW - hydrodynamic modelling
KW - larval connectivity
KW - larval transport
KW - range boundaries
U2 - 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00734.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00734.x
M3 - Journal article
VL - 17
SP - 275
EP - 286
JO - Diversity and Distributions
JF - Diversity and Distributions
SN - 1366-9516
IS - 2
ER -