Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change

Accurately predicting the vulnerabilities of species to climate change requires a more detailed understanding of the functional and life-history traits that make some species more susceptible to declines and extinctions in shifting climates. This is because existing trait-based correlates of extinct...

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Main Author: Damien A. Fordham
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Cambridge Prisms: Extinction
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S275509582400024X/type/journal_article
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author Damien A. Fordham
author_facet Damien A. Fordham
author_sort Damien A. Fordham
collection DOAJ
description Accurately predicting the vulnerabilities of species to climate change requires a more detailed understanding of the functional and life-history traits that make some species more susceptible to declines and extinctions in shifting climates. This is because existing trait-based correlates of extinction risk from climate and environmental disturbances vary widely, often being idiosyncratic and context dependent. A powerful solution is to analyse the growing volume of biological data on changes in species ranges and abundances using process-explicit ecological models that run at fine temporal and spatial scales and across large geographical extents. These simulation-based approaches can unpack complex interactions between species’ traits and climate and other threats. This enables species-responses to climatic change to be contextualised and integrated into future biodiversity projections and to be used to formulate and assess conservation policy goals. By providing a more complete understanding of the traits and contexts that regulate different responses of species to climate change, these process-driven approaches are likely to result in more certain predictions of the species that are most vulnerable to climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-c7d56d7bfe974675a5753f3d6f32038a2025-08-20T02:35:57ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Extinction2755-09582024-01-01210.1017/ext.2024.24Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate changeDamien A. Fordham0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2137-5592The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Center for Mountain Biodiversity, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkAccurately predicting the vulnerabilities of species to climate change requires a more detailed understanding of the functional and life-history traits that make some species more susceptible to declines and extinctions in shifting climates. This is because existing trait-based correlates of extinction risk from climate and environmental disturbances vary widely, often being idiosyncratic and context dependent. A powerful solution is to analyse the growing volume of biological data on changes in species ranges and abundances using process-explicit ecological models that run at fine temporal and spatial scales and across large geographical extents. These simulation-based approaches can unpack complex interactions between species’ traits and climate and other threats. This enables species-responses to climatic change to be contextualised and integrated into future biodiversity projections and to be used to formulate and assess conservation policy goals. By providing a more complete understanding of the traits and contexts that regulate different responses of species to climate change, these process-driven approaches are likely to result in more certain predictions of the species that are most vulnerable to climate change.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S275509582400024X/type/journal_articlebiodiversity conservationextinction riskprocess-based modelrange shiftresurvey data
spellingShingle Damien A. Fordham
Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
Cambridge Prisms: Extinction
biodiversity conservation
extinction risk
process-based model
range shift
resurvey data
title Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
title_full Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
title_fullStr Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
title_full_unstemmed Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
title_short Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
title_sort identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change
topic biodiversity conservation
extinction risk
process-based model
range shift
resurvey data
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S275509582400024X/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT damienafordham identifyingspeciestraitsthatpredictvulnerabilitytoclimatechange