Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary theories have proposed that species traits should be important in mediating species responses to contemporary climate change; yet empirical evidence has so far provided mixed evidence for the role of behavioural, life history or ecological characteristics in facilitating or hindering species range shifts. As such, the utility of trait-based approaches to predict species redistribution under climate change has been called into question. We develop the perspective, supported by evidence, that trait variation, if used carefully can have high potential utility, but that past analyses have in many cases failed to identify an explanatory value for traits by not fully embracing the complexity of species range shifts. First, we discuss the relevant theory linking species traits to range shift processes at the leading (expansion) and trailing (contraction) edges of species distributions, and highlight the need to clarify the mechanistic basis of traits-based approaches. Second, we provide a brief overview of range shifts-trait studies and identify new opportunities for trait integration that consider range-specific processes and intraspecific variability. Third, we explore the circumstances under which environmental and biotic context dependencies are likely to affect our ability to identify the contribution of species traits to range shift processes. Finally, we propose that revealing the role of traits in shaping species redistribution may likely require accounting for methodological variation arising from the range shift estimation process as well as addressing existing functional, geographical and phylogenetic biases. We provide a series of considerations for more effectively integrating traits as well as extrinsic and methodological factors into species redistribution research. Together, these analytical approaches promise stronger mechanistic and predictive understanding that can help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change on biodiversity.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e17271 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Global Change Biology |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 13 Apr 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Apr 2024 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgmentsThis research is a product of the BIOSHIFTS working group funded by the synthesis center (CESAB) of the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB; www.fondationbiodiversite.fr) and the project FRAGSHIFTS funded by the Ministry of
Ecological Transition (MTE), French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), and the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB). We thank Holly Embke and two reviewers (including Tom Luhring) for their time and constructive comments that have improved the initial submission.
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available in FigShare at519 10.6084/m9.figshare.25467664. The data were derived from the following resources available in the public domain: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-092849, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13736, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7413365.v1, https://figshare.com/s/b990722d72a26b5bfead.
Keywords
- Species range shift
- Climate change
- Trailing edge
- Leading edge
- Trait-based approach
- Mechanism
- Research Bias