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Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM)
Published on: October 11, 2016
Warming increases the spread of an invasive thistle
Rui Zhang1, Eelke Jongejans, Katriona Shea
1Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America. ruz104@psu.edu
Plos One
|July 9, 2011
Summary
Climate change, particularly warming, significantly enhances the spread of invasive plants by increasing seed dispersal distances. Understanding dispersal is crucial for predicting future invasion rates.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Invasive Species Management
Background:
- Global warming and altered precipitation patterns impact species globally.
- Dispersal responses to climate change are understudied compared to other life history traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how climate change affects the dispersal ability of a wind-dispersed invasive plant.
- To quantify the impact of these changes on invasion spread rates.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of temperature and precipitation in a field study.
- Utilized spatial population models and a spread rate decomposition technique (c*-LTRE).
Main Results:
- Warming significantly improved Carduus nutans emergence, survival, reproduction, and plant height, leading to increased seed dispersal distances.
- Elevated winter precipitation slightly reduced seed production but did not offset warming effects.
- Plant height-mediated dispersal changes were the primary driver of increased spread rates under climate change.
Conclusions:
- Dispersal is a critical, yet often overlooked, factor in species' responses to climate change.
- Climate change impacts on dispersal can significantly alter a species' ability to track changing climates.
- Integrating demographic and dispersal data is essential for accurate climate change impact projections.
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