ENVM3115 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Landscape Design, Biodiversity Hotspot, Retract
1 Jun 2018
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Managing ecosystems for adaptation
What are the management options to help species survive climate change?
• Change behaviour to avoid unfavourable weather events
• Find a new food source/ roost tree
• Find a new food source/ roost tree
• Shift distribution to track suitable climate/ habitat
• Retract to part of its range that remains suitable
• ‘evolve’ to be adapted to new climate → only suitable individuals survive to breed
• Go extinct
Climate refugia
In the past (e.g. geological time), species survived dramatic
climate fluctuations in stable refugial areas
Long-term refugia (dark blue/red): inhabited throughout at least
one full glacial/interglacial cycle.
Paler colour are refugia that were inhabited during the
contraction phase, but are not inhabited during the expansion
phase owing to the spread of ice sheets during glacials (cold-
adapted species), or excessive temperatures and/or too high
aridity during interglacial (temperate species).
Yellow areas are interglacial refugia along the
oceanic/continental gradient, with a continental refugium in the
east and cryptic refugia further west (unexpected areas of
refuge)
• Areas that remain stable, or change the least = refugia for biodiversity
• If refugia are within species current range – species contract to refugial area
• If refugia are outside the species current range – species shift or go extinct
Key properties of refugia
Allow for population viability & evolutionary processes
- Large enough to sustain populations without erosion of genetic diversity (species-
specific)
Available and accessible
- Within a species range, or close by?
- Dispersal barriers?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Evolve" to be adapted to new climate only suitable individuals survive to breed. In the past (e. g. geological time), species survived dramatic climate fluctuations in stable refugial areas. Long-term refugia (dark blue/red): inhabited throughout at least one full glacial/interglacial cycle. Yellow areas are interglacial refugia along the oceanic/continental gradient, with a continental refugium in the east and cryptic refugia further west (unexpected areas of refuge: areas that remain stable, or change the least = refugia for biodiversity. If refugia are within species current range species contract to refugial area. If refugia are outside the species current range species shift or go extinct. Large enough to sustain populations without erosion of genetic diversity (species- specific) Habitat or climate refugia can be considered at two broad spatial scales. Macrorefugia - large scale areas which retain a stable temperature, protected from rapidly changing highs or lows, such as mountains, valleys or forests.
