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Comte L, Bertrand R, Diamond S, Lancaster LT, Pinsky ML, Scheffers BR, Baecher JA, Bandara RMWJ, Chen IC, Lawlor JA, Moore NA, Oliveira BF, Murienne J, Rolland J, Rubenstein MA, Sunday J, Thompson LM, Villalobos F, Weiskopf SR, Lenoir J. Bringing traits back into the equation: A roadmap to understand species redistribution. Glob Chang Biol 2024; 30:e17271. [PMID: 38613240 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
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 behavioral, 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 trait-based approaches. Second, we provide a brief overview of range shift-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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Comte
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., Truckee, California, USA
| | - Romain Bertrand
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Sarah Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Malin L Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Brett R Scheffers
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - J Alex Baecher
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - R M W J Bandara
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - I-Ching Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Jake A Lawlor
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nikki A Moore
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brunno F Oliveira
- Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), Centre de Synthèse et d'Analyse sur la Biodiversité (CESAB), Montpellier, France
| | - Jerome Murienne
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement (CRBE UMR5300), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Madeleine A Rubenstein
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
| | - Jennifer Sunday
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Laura M Thompson
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
- School of Natural Resources, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fabricio Villalobos
- Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C. - INECOL, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Sarah R Weiskopf
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- UMR CNRS 7058, Ecologie et Dynamique Des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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