title: Usefulness of Species Traits in Predicting Range Shifts.
abstract: Information on the ecological traits of species might improve predictions of climate-driven range shifts. However, the usefulness of traits is usually assumed rather than quantified. Here, we present a framework to identify the most informative traits, based on four key range-shift processes: emigration of individuals or propagules away from the natal location; the distance a species can move; establishment of self-sustaining populations; and proliferation following establishment. We propose a framework that categorises traits according to their contribution to range-shift processes. We demonstrate how the framework enables the predictive value of traits to be evaluated empirically and how this categorisation can be used to better understand range-shift processes; we also illustrate how range-shift estimates can be improved.
authors.affiliation: CIBIO/InBIO, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal; Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morales-Castilla
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caplat
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, UK. Electronic address: r.early@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Regan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Early
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D057231:Climate Change; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D063148:Plant Dispersal; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena / Q000235:genetics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*