The role of dispersal in species' ability to respond to climate change
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Environmental Sciences
Abstract
There is an emerging consensus that many animal species are responding to current climate warming by shifting their distributions northwards. However, in order to track climate, species must be able to disperse through landscapes that have been greatly altered by human activities, and where breeding habitats are often fragmented and scattered across inhospitable urban and agricultural landscapes. Because of this human-induced habitat loss, many species with poor dispersal ability are failing to shift their ranges and are unable to reach new sites beyond their current range margin. Predicting why some species can shift their ranges in response to climate change whilst others cannot, is crucial for improving our projections of species' future distributions. This project will address this issue by investigating species' dispersal behaviour and capability. Even if greenhouse gas emissions were greatly reduced immediately, more warming would still occur due to inertia in the Earth's climate system. Thus, there is a commitment to future warming regardless of any mitigation and, in this context, adaptation measures are required urgently. One commonly suggested adaptation measure is the creation of more permeable landscapes that enable species to movement through degraded landscapes, and help them colonise new sites. However, the effectiveness of improving habitat connectivity for promoting range shifts is essentially untested. There are currently no data examining how species' flight behaviour in response to landscape features may affect their ability to disperse over longer-distances, colonise new sites, and hence shift their ranges. Yet such information will be crucial for understanding the impacts of climate change on the distribution of biodiversity. The proposed work will provide the first investigation of how 'everyday' local flight behaviour in fragmented landscapes translates into longer-distance dispersal and colonisation success. We will focus on butterflies and collect new field data on butterfly flight path characteristics (displacement, speed of flight, directionality, etc) within breeding habitats, within non-breeding habitats, and at habitat/non-habitat patch boundaries. We will incorporate movement information and butterfly behaviour (ovipositing, nectaring, etc) into spatially-explicit dynamic models to estimate movements in 'real' study landscapes. We will test the reliability of our models by comparing modelled movements with those obtained from independent mark-recapture data for the same species and study landscapes. We will then use validated models to examine how variation in flight behaviour and availability of breeding habitat affects the probability of movement in study landscapes. Our models will also allow us to examine the effectiveness of conservation management plans to improve landscape connectivity (Impact Plan). The project will produce results of considerable practical value, as well as addressing fundamental questions about dispersal limits to species ranges. It will open up a new avenue of research on understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Conservation strategies must include adaptation strategies, but conservationists are uncertain about what to do. The proposed work will provide a concrete body of scientific evidence to inform this debate.
Publications
MAIR L
(2015)
Quantifying the activity levels and behavioural responses of butterfly species to habitat boundaries
in Ecological Entomology
Kallioniemi E
(2013)
Inter- and intra-specific differences in butterfly behaviour at boundaries
in Insect Conservation and Diversity
Gillingham P
(2015)
The effectiveness of protected areas in the conservation of species with changing geographical ranges Protected Areas Help Retain Contracting Species
in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Cerdeira J
(2014)
Mathematical contributions to link biota with environment
in Journal of Vegetation Science
Description | We found that species dispersal capacity changes with range expansion. Individuals from populations at the edge of the range have, in general, greater dispersal capacity and can move bigger distances at lower temperatures. This will enhance species capacity to respond to global environmental change. However species respond in idiosyncratic ways, the mechanisms that enable margin populations to be more dispersive are diverse, some species respond with changes in morphology, others with changes in behaviour. |
Exploitation Route | Our work is published in peer review journals, we are still working on two extra publications. The work was also presented at conferences with colleagues and conservation practitioners. Some of our results were included in the "Report card of climate change effects in terrestrial environments, published by LWEC. Our work enables better planning of protected areas and of land management. Our findings have also been used for education purposes (details in the Impact section). |
Sectors | Education,Environment |
URL | https://www.uea.ac.uk/environmental-sciences/people/profile/a-franco#overviewTab |
Description | Our findings have been used by: 1- Butterfly Conservation (conservation NGO) to plan protected areas taking into account species dispersal ability. 2- other scientists looking at evolution of dispersal 3- other scientists looking at climate envelop models, trying to incorporate species dispersal capacity 4- school teachers in England and France to create biology contents for the secondary school pupils 5- members of the public that learned about ecological responses to climate change (Facebook page created and youtube video) |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Education,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Impacts Card |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | The card summarised current impacts of climate change on terrestrial biodiversity and had the participation of a large number of researchers and practitioners. This raised awareness for impacts of climate change and the need to act to minimize its detrimental effects on biodiversity. The main aim of the card is to raise awareness for current observed biodiversity responses, including species range expansion and the colonization of the UK by new continental European species. |
URL | http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/partnerships/lwec/products/report-cards/biodiversity/report-card/ |
Description | CUE East Engagement awards |
Amount | £3,700 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of East Anglia |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2010 |
End | 07/2011 |
Description | Refugial populations at trailing-edge range margins: attributes, survival and conservation. PI-Prof. Chris Thomas (University of York). |
Amount | £659,876 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/K013041/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Understanding causes and consequences of the extreme thermal sensitivity of male fertility using a model insect- PI Prof Matt Gage |
Amount | £546,902 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/K013041/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2013 |
End | 03/2016 |
Description | Butterfly movement |
Organisation | University of York |
Department | Department of Biology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I have close collaborators at the University of York and we submit research projects together. Currently working one one standard NERC grant. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute with ideas, discussions and with the submission of research grants. |
Impact | Publications |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Butterfly Conservation: Seventh International Symposium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk sparkled discussions on how to manage protected areas for species conservation in a changing world Talk sparkled questions and discussions with colleagues and conservation practitioners on how to manage landscapes to enable species movement and range change. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Ecology and Evolution meeting in Toulouse |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presented a summary of the project looking at dispersal ability in a changing world |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Media interest (encounters with butterflies) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Our activity lead to the BBC article which was available to all members of the public raising awareness for the need to conserve Butterflies and range expanding species in a changing world After the article we had a large number of participants in the subsequent workshops and more visits to our Facebook webpage |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14572739 |
Description | Movement and Dispersal Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | We presented a talk that generated wide interest and participated in the discussion groups organised at the end of the conference. Each group had to write a review paper, work in progress. Review paper that we are working on at the moment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/events/mad-2013/scientific-programme/ |
Description | Workshop with secondary school teachers on ecological responses to climate change -project INSTINCT |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk sparkled questions and discussions afterwards The teachers involved in this activity developed new content for their teaching. The materials were made available online for secondary teachers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |