Conservation implications of adaptation to tropical climates from a historical perspective

Bonebrake, Timothy C.

doi:10.1111/jbi.12011

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In the early 19th century, von Humboldt recorded arguably the first macroecological (i.e. large‐spatial‐scale ecological) pattern, a striking latitudinal diversity gradient in the Americas (Bonebrake, ). In the early 20th century, ecology became more quantitative, with the analytical rigour applied to diversity patterns by Hutchinson in the 1950s paving the way for the statistical focus of macroecology that emerged in the 1980s (Brown & Maurer, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining marine macroecology and palaeoecology in understanding biodiversity: microfossils as a model

et al. 2015

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There is growing interest in the integration of macroecology and palaeoecology towards a better understanding of past, present, and anticipated future biodiversity dynamics. However, the empirical basis for this integration has thus far been limited. Here we review prospects for a macroecology-palaeoecology integration in biodiversity analyses with a focus on marine microfossils [i.e. small (or small parts of) organisms with high fossilization potential, such as foraminifera, ostracodes, diatoms, radiolaria, coccolithophores, dinoflagellates, and ichthyoliths]. Marine microfossils represent a useful model system for such integrative research because of their high abundance, large spatiotemporal coverage, and good taxonomic and temporal resolution. The microfossil record allows for quantitative cross-scale research designs, which help in answering fundamental questions about marine biodiversity, including the causes behind similarities in patterns of latitudinal and longitudinal variation across taxa, the degree of constancy of observed gradients over time, and the relative importance of hypothesized drivers that may explain past or present biodiversity patterns. The inclusion of a deep-time perspective based on high-resolution microfossil records may be an important step for the further maturation of macroecology. An improved integration of macroecology and palaeoecology would aid in our understanding of the balance of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that have shaped the biosphere we inhabit today and affect how it may change in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining marine macroecology and palaeoecology in understanding biodiversity: microfossils as a model

et al. 2015

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“…A popular idea is that tropical ectotherms are thermal specialists because they evolve in relatively low‐variance thermal environments (Janzen ; Criddle et al . ; Bonebrake ). If true, many tropical ectotherms may already live close to their thermal limits, and even small departures from those limits may have large negative effects on fitness (Deutsch et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If we assume that organisms generally exhibit adaptations to the prevailing climate (Janzen ; Criddle et al . ; Angilleta ; Bonebrake ), then it follows that forest organisms might generally suffer reduced performance outside of mature forest conditions. More specifically, compared to mature forest and due to the shading and buffering effects of vegetation (Kearney, Shine & Porter ; Turlure et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organismal responses to habitat change: herbivore performance, climate and leaf traits in regenerating tropical dry forests

Agosta

Hulshof

Staats

2017

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The ecological effects of large-scale climate change have received much attention, but the effects of the more acute form of climate change that results from local habitat alteration have been less explored. When forest is fragmented, cut, thinned, cleared or otherwise altered in structure, local climates and microclimates change. Such changes can affect herbivores both directly (e.g. through changes in body temperature) and indirectly (e.g. through changes in host plant traits). We advance an eco-physiological framework to understand the effects of changing forests on herbivorous insects. We hypothesize that if tropical forest caterpillars are climate and resource specialists, then they should have reduced performance outside of mature forest conditions. We tested this hypothesis with a field experiment contrasting the performance of Rothschildia lebeau (Saturniidae) caterpillars feeding on the host plant Casearia nitida (Salicaceae) in two different aged and structured tropical dry forests in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Compared to more mature closed-canopy forest, in younger secondary forest we found that: (1) ambient conditions were hotter, drier and more variable; (2) caterpillar growth and development were reduced; and (3) leaves were tougher, thicker and drier. Furthermore, caterpillar growth and survival were negatively correlated with these leaf traits, suggesting indirect host-mediated effects of climate on herbivores. Based on the available evidence, and relative to mature forest, we conclude that reduced herbivore performance in young secondary forest could have been driven by changes in climate, leaf traits (which were likely climate induced) or both. However, additional studies will be needed to provide more direct evidence of cause-and-effect and to disentangle the relative influence of these factors on herbivore performance in this system.

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“…; Peh, ; Raxworthy et al, ; Chen et al, ; Feeley et al, ; Forero‐Medina, Terborgh, Socolar, & Pimm, ; Jump, Huang, & Chou, ; Freeman & Freeman, ; see also Figure ), while lowland tropical habitats (elevation <1,000 m) hold the highest levels of alpha biodiversity among all terrestrial habitats (Brooks et al, ; Pimm et al, ). Climate change is projected to have large impacts on tropical species (Bonebrake, ; Deutsch et al, ; Khaliq, Hof, Prinzinger, Böhning‐Gaese, & Pfenninger, ), particularly in lowland areas where topographic variation is limited and more variable climates for buffering warming impacts may be unavailable (Bonebrake & Deutsch, ; Bonebrake & Mastrandrea, ; Colwell, Brehm, Cardelús, Gilman, & Longino, ; Malhi et al, ). Moreover, tropical lowland ecosystems are also under great threat of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss (Guo et al, ; Nogués‐Bravo, Araújo, Romdal, & Rahbek, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change is projected to have large impacts on tropical species (Bonebrake, 2013;Deutsch et al, 2008;Khaliq, Hof, Prinzinger, Böhning-Gaese, & Pfenninger, 2014), particularly in lowland areas where topographic variation is limited and more variable climates for buffering warming impacts may be unavailable (Bonebrake & Deutsch, 2012;Bonebrake & Mastrandrea, 2010;Colwell, Brehm, Cardelús, Gilman, & Longino, 2008;Malhi et al, 2008). Moreover, tropical lowland ecosystems are also under great threat of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss (Guo et al, 2018;Nogués-Bravo, Araújo, Romdal, & Rahbek, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex elevational shifts in a tropical lowland moth community following a decade of climate change

Cheng

Kendrick

Guo

et al. 2018

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Climate change is driving many species towards higher latitudes and higher elevations. However, empirical studies documenting these changes have largely focused on presence/absence based range shifts in temperate regions. Studies in lowland tropical ecosystems that control for detection probabilities are especially lacking. Location Hong Kong SAR, China. Methods By analysing a 15‐year trapping dataset of geometrid moths along a lowland elevation gradient (0–600 m) in Hong Kong, we used multiple metrics and approaches to estimate occurrence shifts with elevation, changes to range limits, and community‐wide shifts in elevation. Our approaches used Bayesian occupancy models to account for false absences, which may bias naïve measures of range shifts over time. Results Over the study period, we detected only subtle changes in forest cover but a notable increase in maximum temperatures (~0.5°C per decade) and extreme weather events. Of geometrid moths, one out of the 123 examined species exhibited increased occurrence probabilities across all elevations after accounting for uncertainty in detection; all other species exhibited no significant change in occupancy with elevation. However, at least two species became newly established in Hong Kong over the decade, and 32 species showed significant elevational shifts in lower or upper range limits. At the community level, geometrid moths showed a noticeable upslope shift at all but one of the examined sites. Main conclusions The complex patterns observed highlight the difficulties and limitations in detecting climate change impacts on diverse tropical communities. Our conservative results indicate early responses of tropical species over a relatively short timespan to a decade of environmental change, and the necessity of long‐term monitoring for providing insights into the management and conservation of vulnerable species.

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Conservation implications of adaptation to tropical climates from a historical perspective

Cited by 14 publications

References 60 publications

Combining marine macroecology and palaeoecology in understanding biodiversity: microfossils as a model

Combining marine macroecology and palaeoecology in understanding biodiversity: microfossils as a model

Organismal responses to habitat change: herbivore performance, climate and leaf traits in regenerating tropical dry forests

Complex elevational shifts in a tropical lowland moth community following a decade of climate change

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