Download or read book The Spatial Ecology of Climate Influences Species Distributions written by Gabrielle L. Rimok and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Species distributions are largely determined by three main drivers: abiotic environmental conditions, dispersal, and biotic interactions. Because abiotic environmental conditions determine habitat suitability, they also have direct implications on the capacity of species to disperse and how species interact with one another in space. However, it is specifically the variability in abiotic environmental conditions (i.e., environmental heterogeneity) and how they are spatially structured (i.e., environmental spatial autocorrelation - ESA) that determines whether or not a habitat, or even a landscape, is environmentally suitable for species establishment. Environmental heterogeneity itself is spatially structured; where environmental conditions/features that are closer together in space tend to be more similar than those farther apart. As such, the spatial structure of environmental features (i.e., ESA) mimics dispersal networks because spatial patterns in environmental heterogeneity affect the strategies and energetic costs (and their associated fitness consequences) involved in movement and dispersal among patches. At broad spatial scales, species distributions are shaped by environmental conditions, namely, those of climate. Climatic conditions thus also impose important physiological and life history constraints on species and in accordance with environmental features, are also often heterogeneous and spatially structured. Yet, how they affect and contribute to species distributions remains unknown. Here, we use species distribution models (SDMs) in a novel framework in which we demonstrate for the first time, the influence of climate heterogeneity (within and between patches) and climate spatial structure on species distributions. We evaluated six different SDMs testing both the individual and combined effects of climate variables (i.e., between and within-patch climate heterogeneity and climate spatial structure) on species distributions, using 301 North American amphibian species as a case study. Our results demonstrate that a model using climate spatial structure as a predictor alone explained species distributions better than any other model in the majority of species. Although a model including both climate heterogeneity (within and between-patch) and climate spatial structure as predictors was only the best model for a handful of species, we provide critical evidence that there is added value in considering climate spatial structure when fitting different SDMs for the same species. Most importantly, we demonstrate that climate spatial structure and heterogeneity are important mechanisms driving species distributions in North America.
Download or read book Mapping Species Distributions written by Janet Franklin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-01-07 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maps of species' distributions or habitat suitability are required for many aspects of environmental research, resource management and conservation planning. These include biodiversity assessment, reserve design, habitat management and restoration, species and habitat conservation plans and predicting the effects of environmental change on species and ecosystems. The proliferation of methods and uncertainty regarding their effectiveness can be daunting to researchers, resource managers and conservation planners alike. Franklin summarises the methods used in species distribution modeling (also called niche modeling) and presents a framework for spatial prediction of species distributions based on the attributes (space, time, scale) of the data and questions being asked. The framework links theoretical ecological models of species distributions to spatial data on species and environment, and statistical models used for spatial prediction. Providing practical guidelines to students, researchers and practitioners in a broad range of environmental sciences including ecology, geography, conservation biology, and natural resources management.
Download or read book Predicting Species Occurrences written by J. Michael Scott and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2002-02 with total page 940 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predictions about where different species are, where they are not, and how they move across a landscape or respond to human activities -- if timber is harvested, for instance, or stream flow altered -- are important aspects of the work of wildlife biologists, land managers, and the agencies and policymakers that govern natural resources. Despite the increased use and importance of model predictions, these predictions are seldom tested and have unknown levels of accuracy.Predicting Species Occurrences addresses those concerns, highlighting for managers and researchers the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches, as well as the magnitude of the research required to improve or test predictions of currently used models. The book is an outgrowth of an international symposium held in October 1999 that brought together scientists and researchers at the forefront of efforts to process information about species at different spatial and temporal scales. It is a comprehensive reference that offers an exhaustive treatment of the subject, with 65 chapters by leading experts from around the world that: review the history of the theory and practice of modeling and present a standard terminology examine temporal and spatial scales in terms of their influence on patterns and processes of species distribution offer detailed discussions of state-of-the-art modeling tools and descriptions of methods for assessing model accuracy discuss how to predict species presence and abundance present examples of how spatially explicit data on demographics can provide important information for managers An introductory chapter by Michael A. Huston examines the ecological context in which predictions of species occurrences are made, and a concluding chapter by John A. Wiens offers an insightful review and synthesis of the topics examined along with guidance for future directions and cautions regarding misuse of models. Other contributors include Michael P. Austin, Barry R. Noon, Alan H. Fielding, Michael Goodchild, Brian A. Maurer, John T. Rotenberry, Paul Angermeier, Pierre R. Vernier, and more than a hundred others.Predicting Species Occurrences offers important new information about many of the topics raised in the seminal volume Wildlife 2000 (University of Wisconsin Press, 1986) and will be the standard reference on this subject for years to come. Its state-of-the-art assessment will play a key role in guiding the continued development and application of tools for making accurate predictions and is an indispensable volume for anyone engaged in species management or conservation.
Download or read book The Influence of Spatial and Temporal Climate Variation on Species Distributions Phenologies and Interactions written by Heather Marie Kharouba and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Under the Weather written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-06-29 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the dawn of medical science, people have recognized connections between a change in the weather and the appearance of epidemic disease. With today's technology, some hope that it will be possible to build models for predicting the emergence and spread of many infectious diseases based on climate and weather forecasts. However, separating the effects of climate from other effects presents a tremendous scientific challenge. Can we use climate and weather forecasts to predict infectious disease outbreaks? Can the field of public health advance from "surveillance and response" to "prediction and prevention?" And perhaps the most important question of all: Can we predict how global warming will affect the emergence and transmission of infectious disease agents around the world? Under the Weather evaluates our current understanding of the linkages among climate, ecosystems, and infectious disease; it then goes a step further and outlines the research needed to improve our understanding of these linkages. The book also examines the potential for using climate forecasts and ecological observations to help predict infectious disease outbreaks, identifies the necessary components for an epidemic early warning system, and reviews lessons learned from the use of climate forecasts in other realms of human activity.
Download or read book Ecological Consequences of Climate Change written by Erik A. Beever and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary climate change is a crucial management challenge for wildlife scientists, conservation biologists, and ecologists of the 21st century. Climate fingerprints are being detected and documented in the responses of hundreds of wildlife species and numerous ecosystems around the world. To mitigate and accommodate the influences of climate ch
Download or read book Habitat Suitability and Distribution Models written by Antoine Guisan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-14 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces the key stages of niche-based habitat suitability model building, evaluation and prediction required for understanding and predicting future patterns of species and biodiversity. Beginning with the main theory behind ecological niches and species distributions, the book proceeds through all major steps of model building, from conceptualization and model training to model evaluation and spatio-temporal predictions. Extensive examples using R support graduate students and researchers in quantifying ecological niches and predicting species distributions with their own data, and help to address key environmental and conservation problems. Reflecting this highly active field of research, the book incorporates the latest developments from informatics and statistics, as well as using data from remote sources such as satellite imagery. A website at www.unil.ch/hsdm contains the codes and supporting material required to run the examples and teach courses.
Download or read book Biological Diversity written by Anne E. Magurran and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an up to date review of the methods of measuring and assessing biological diversity, together with their application.
Download or read book Spatial Ecology and Conservation Modeling written by Robert Fletcher and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-15 with total page 523 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a foundation for modern applied ecology. Much of current ecology research and conservation addresses problems across landscapes and regions, focusing on spatial patterns and processes. This book is aimed at teaching fundamental concepts and focuses on learning-by-doing through the use of examples with the software R. It is intended to provide an entry-level, easily accessible foundation for students and practitioners interested in spatial ecology and conservation.
Download or read book Seed Dispersal and Frugivory written by Douglas John Levey and published by CABI. This book was released on 2002 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides information on the historical and theoretical perspectives of biodiversity and ecology in tropical forests, plant and animal behaviour towards seed dispersal and plant-animal interactions within forest communities, consequences of seed dispersal, and conservation, biodiversity and management.
Download or read book Thermal Adaptation written by Michael J. Angilletta Jr. and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-29 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Temperature profoundly impacts both the phenotypes and distributions of organisms. These thermal effects exert strong selective pressures on behaviour, physiology and life history when environmental temperatures vary over space and time. Despite temperature's significance, progress toward a quantitative theory of thermal adaptation has lagged behind empirical descriptions of patterns and processes. In this book, the author draws on theory from the more general discipline of evolutionary ecology to establish a framework for interpreting empirical studies of thermal biology. This novel synthesis of theoretical and empirical work generates new insights about the process of thermal adaptation and points the way towards a more general theory. The threat of rapid climatic change on a global scale provides a stark reminder of the challenges that remain for thermal biologists and adds a sense of urgency to this book's mission. Thermal Adaptation will benefit anyone who seeks to understand the relationship between environmental variation and phenotypic evolution. The book focuses on quantitative evolutionary models at the individual, population and community levels, and successfully integrates this theory with modern empirical approaches. By providing a synthetic overview of evolutionary thermal biology, this accessible text will appeal to both graduate students and established researchers in the fields of comparative, ecological, and evolutionary physiology. It will also interest the broader audience of professional ecologists and evolutionary biologists who require a comprehensive review of this topic, as well as those researchers working on the applied problems of regional and global climate change.
Download or read book The Theory of Ecological Communities MPB 57 written by Mark Vellend and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A plethora of different theories, models, and concepts make up the field of community ecology. Amid this vast body of work, is it possible to build one general theory of ecological communities? What other scientific areas might serve as a guiding framework? As it turns out, the core focus of community ecology—understanding patterns of diversity and composition of biological variants across space and time—is shared by evolutionary biology and its very coherent conceptual framework, population genetics theory. The Theory of Ecological Communities takes this as a starting point to pull together community ecology's various perspectives into a more unified whole. Mark Vellend builds a theory of ecological communities based on four overarching processes: selection among species, drift, dispersal, and speciation. These are analogues of the four central processes in population genetics theory—selection within species, drift, gene flow, and mutation—and together they subsume almost all of the many dozens of more specific models built to describe the dynamics of communities of interacting species. The result is a theory that allows the effects of many low-level processes, such as competition, facilitation, predation, disturbance, stress, succession, colonization, and local extinction to be understood as the underpinnings of high-level processes with widely applicable consequences for ecological communities. Reframing the numerous existing ideas in community ecology, The Theory of Ecological Communities provides a new way for thinking about biological composition and diversity.
Download or read book Influence of Climatic and Non climatic Factors on Range Dynamics and Conservation Priorities of Long distance Migratory Birds written by Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding factors influencing species' distributions and their dynamics over space and time is a fundamental question in ecology that is receiving renewed interest given increasing threats of global climate change to species persistence. Species are shifting their distributions in response to climate change; however in spite of general directional trends northwards and up in elevation there is substantial interspecific variation. The complexity of species' responses is challenging to explain and limits our predictive capacity to anticipate future consequences of climate change. In addition to climatic factors, species' range dynamics are influenced by non-climatic factors including the biotic interactions, demography, dispersal, and the temporal and spatial scale of threatening processes. The objective of this thesis is to test the role of climatic and non-climatic factors on seasonal range dynamics of long-distance migratory birds over multiple spatial scales, in the recent past, present, and in the future. An understanding of the determinants of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory bird distributions across their interconnected seasonal ranges remains unclear, and few climate change vulnerability assessments consider the complement of habitat dependencies required across their annual cycle. To address these research gaps, I applied multiple modeling methods with outcomes that are increasingly process-oriented. These include correlative species distribution models, dynamic occupancy modeling that account for detection probabilities, and coupled species distribution-metapopulation demographic models. Such modeling approaches allow for deeper inferences regarding the biological processes that actually drive shifts in species distributions over space and time. The main findings of my thesis include: (1) biotic vegetation factors improve species distribution model predictive accuracy measures across both seasonal ranges, and this has non-negligible consequences for spatial conservation priorities under climate change, (2) determinants of seasonal distributions of migratory birds tend to be dominated by abiotic factors, while seasonal differences within species suggest a role for dynamic seasonal niches, (3) short-term habitat changes can more strongly influence local extinction probabilities relative to inter-annual variation in weather suggesting that the temporal scale of climate change and habitat loss requires careful consideration, and (4) accounting for multiple sources of uncertainties is essential for improving models and can help inform robust management actions.
Download or read book Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States written by Therese M. Poland and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-02-01 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.
Download or read book Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland written by Randall W. Myster and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-07-10 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecotones are dynamic over-lapping boundary areas where major terrestrial biomes meet. As past studies have shown, and as the chapters in this book will illustrate, their structure, size, and scope have changed considerably over the millennia, expanding and shrinking as climate and/or other driving conditions, also changed. Today, however, many of them are changing at a rate not seen for a long time, perhaps largely due to climate change and other human-induced factors. Indeed ecotones are more sensitive to climate change than the biomes on either side, and thus may serve as critical early indicators of future climate change. As ecotones change, they also redefine the limits of the biomes on either side by altering their distributions of species because, in addition to their own endemic species, any ecotone will also have species from both adjoining biomes. Consequently, they may also be places of high levels of species interaction, serving as active evolutionary laboratories, which generate new species that then migrate back into adjacent biomes. Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland explores how these ecotones have changed in the past, how they are changing today, and how they are likely to change in the future. The book includes chapters from around the world with a special focus on South American and Neotropical ecotones.
Download or read book Climatic Influences on the Evolution and Diversity of Regional Species Assemblages written by Adam C. Algar and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Range Shifts from Climate Change written by Daniel Kyriacos Gibson-Reinemer and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Species' distributions are shaped by many factors, and climatic influences are among the strongest. Changes in temperature and precipitation are altering the distribution of species. However, climatic influences on species' ranges occur against a backdrop of competing ecological forces that are also dynamic. How the combination of climatic and biotic forces interact to produce large-scale patterns of range shifts in response to climate change is an active frontier in ecology. To investigate the nature of species' range shifts, I examined instances of species shifting across a range of environments. When the same species experiences warming temperatures in different environments, its response is often categorically different, highlighting the context-dependent nature of factors shaping species' distributions. Where strong environmental gradients exist, a more consistent response may emerge. In transition zone rivers in Colorado, USA, plains fishes adapted to low-gradient rivers showed a consistent lack of upstream range shifts when stream slope was too steep. Ecosystems and ecological processes emerge from the accumulation of many species interacting together, and the cumulative effect of individual species shifting their ranges will change the assemblages of species that overlap. I documented high rates of species turnover in montane ecosystems experiencing warming. Species turnover was uneven, with ectothermic assemblages experiencing higher rates of turnover than endothermic assemblages. Demonstrating the complex and idiosyncratic nature of ecological responses to changing climatic conditions will help ecologists understand the forces shaping ecosystems.
