Chapters - Ecological, evolutionary and biogeographic implications of climate change

15 important questions on Chapters - Ecological, evolutionary and biogeographic implications of climate change

Which factors are fundamental in determining a species' niche?

Food availability and climate.

What is the fundamental niche?

The niche of the species absent species interactions.

What is the species realized niche?

The niche it actually occupies in the real world, including species interactions. A realized niche is therefore always narrower than a fundamental niche.
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What is niche filling and when is it complete?

The degree to which a species fills its fundamental niche.

Where the fundamental and realized niches are the same, niche filling is complete.

Where is the niche filling incomplete?

When a species distribution in the real world is more restricted than its fundamental niche would suggest.

Why are poleward or upslope thermal niches overfilled and equator or downslope niches of species underfilled?

Because there are fewer species and therefore less competition at the cool range boundary, while the warm range boundary is often more diverse, making it more likely for competition to limit distribution.

Why are species range movement unique and specific to that individual species?

Niche parameters are unique to each species, so species range movements are unique and specific to that individual species, in response to alterations in all of the niche parameters being impacted by climate change.

What is individualistic range movement?

Every species responds to climate change in a unique way, moving not in concert with other species, but individualistically, changing ecological relationships along the way.

What are novel ecosystems?

Ecosystems that form in the future that are unlike any that currently exist.

What are disappearing ecosystems?

Ones that exist in a previous time period and then are not found later.

Where does a leading edge of the range shift occur?

Along the range boundary that is expanding.  In a warming world, leading edges are found in the poleward and upslope portions of a species’ range.

Where does the trailing edge of a range shift occur?

Trailing edges form at the warm range boundary of a species’ range, as warming causes conditions to exceed a species’ thermal maximum, causing population growth to decline and then stop.

Why is the trailing edge in a warming world often an area of higher genetic diversity?

Because in past cool periods, species have retracted into these areas.

What is niche conservativism?

The retention of niche over long periods of time and through changing conditions.

Where lie the current conservation priorities?

Biodiversity found mostly in tropical mountains, thanks to their high numbers of restricted-range species found there. T

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