Faster poleward range shifts in moths with more variable colour patterns.
Range shifts have been documented in many organisms, and climate change has been implicated as a contributing driver of latitudinal and altitudinal range modifications. However, little is known about what species trait(s) allow for faster environmental tracking and improved capacity for distribution expansions. We used data for 416 species of moths, and show that range limits in Sweden have shifted to the north by on average 52.4 km per decade between 1973 and 2014. When also including non-expanding species, average expansion rate was 23.2 km per decade. The rate of boundary shifts increased with increasing levels of inter-individual variation in colour patterns and decreased with increasing latitude. The association with colour patterns indicate that variation in this functionally important trait enables species to cope with novel and changing conditions. Northern range limits also increased with average abundance and decreased with increasing year-to-year abundance fluctuations, implicating production of dispersers as a driver of range dynamics. Studies of terrestrial animals show that rates of poleward shifts differ between taxonomic groups, increase over time, and depend on study duration and latitude. Knowledge of how distribution shifts change with time, location, and species characteristics may improve projections of responses to climate change and aid the protection of biodiversity.
Center for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, EEMiS, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.
Anders
A
Forsman
Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.
Per-Eric
PE
Betzholtz
Department of Community Ecology, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany.
Markus
M
Franzén
D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D057231:Climate Change; D003116:Color; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D009036:Moths / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013045:Species Specificity; D013548:Sweden