"We know that many species changed their geographic ranges in response to past climatic change, but we know very little about the factors that affected that process. We also know very little about rarer species that may not have shifted at all. Where species do not shift or shift slowly, population declines or species extinction may occur, presenting a significant conservation dilemma. Using experiments with insects and plants, I show how local adaptation, dispersal, and specialization may slow or prevent geographic range shifts under human-caused climate change. Using custom microarray data for two species that contrast ecologically, I also examine the genetic basis of population differences in climatic tolerance. These results suggest that populations within a species' range may respond in distinct ways to climatic change and undermine the likelihood of a simple range shift. Finally, I will discuss a number of possible conservation actions that managers might take to help species that decline under climate change, including discussion about movement of species by humans, called "managed relocation."
Guest Lecture seminars by A/Prof Jessica Hellmann from University of Notre Dame
NOTE: 19MB Quicktime file will take a few minutes to download.
