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Linking climate warming and land conversion to species' range changes across Great Britain
Andrew J Suggitt1, Christopher J Wheatley2, Paula Aucott3
1Department of Geography & Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK. andrew.suggitt@northumbria.ac.uk.
Nature Communications
|October 31, 2023
Summary
Climate warming and land conversion significantly impact species persistence. Understanding these individualistic effects is crucial for effective biodiversity and climate adaptation policies.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Habitat destruction and climate warming are key drivers of biodiversity loss.
- Their combined effects on species distribution are not well understood across large spatial and temporal scales.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the additive and interactive effects of land-use change and climate warming on species distribution.
- To assess the impact of these combined stressors on the persistence of various taxa over 75 years.
Main Methods:
- Compiled a 75-year dataset of land-use changes in Great Britain, focusing on semi-natural grassland loss.
- Integrated climate change data with species distribution data for birds, butterflies, macromoths, and plants (1192 species).
- Analyzed relationships between climate warming, land conversion, and changes in species distribution and persistence.
Main Results:
- 40% of species showed increased persistence probability due to additive effects of climate warming and land conversion.
- 12% of species experienced decreased persistence, reflected in range contractions and expansions.
- Interactive effects between climate warming and land conversion were infrequent and had a weak impact on extinction risk.
Conclusions:
- Species exhibit individualistic responses to climate warming and land conversion.
- Policies for biodiversity and climate adaptation must incorporate species-specific data.
- Understanding combined impacts is vital for predicting future biodiversity changes.
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