| Laurance, WF; ..., ; Hemp, A; Hemp, C; et al., : Global warming, elevational ranges and the vulnerability of tropical biota, Biological Conservation, 144, 548-557 (2011) | |
| Abstract: Tropical species with narrow elevational ranges may be thermally specialized and vulnerable to global warming. Local studies of distributions along elevational gradients reveal small-scale patterns but do not allow generalizations among geographic regions or taxa. We critically assessed data from 249 studies of species elevational distributions in the American, African, and Asia-Pacific tropics. Of these, 150 had sufficient data quality, sampling intensity, elevational range, and freedom from serious habitat disturbance to permit robust across-study comparisons. We found four main patterns: (1) species classified as elevational specialists (upper- or lower-zone specialists) are relatively more frequent in the American than Asia-Pacific tropics, with African tropics being intermediate; (2) elevational specialists are rare on islands, especially oceanic and smaller continental islands, largely due to a paucity of upper-zone specialists; (3) a relatively high proportion of plants and ectothermic vertebrates (amphibians and reptiles) are upper-zone specialists; and (4) relatively few endothermic vertebrates (birds and mammals) are upper-zone specialists. Understanding these broad-scale trends will help identify taxa and geographic regions vulnerable to global warming and highlight future research priorities. |
Aktuelle Termine
Aktuelle Termine
| BayCEER Short Courses: |
|---|
| Fr. 26.04.2024 aktuell Mobile Film Making Workshop (for students of BayCEER) |
| Ökologisch-Botanischer Garten: |
| Fr. 26.04.2024 aktuell Aktion | Kräuterreich & regional: Backkunst im ÖBG (zus. mit HWK) |
| Fr. 26.04.2024 aktuell Führung | Erdbeer-Minze und Zimmerknoblauch: Gewürzkräuter |
| So. 28.04.2024 Führung | Den Sängern auf der Spur: Vogelstimmen im ÖBG (zus. mit LBV) |
| So. 05.05.2024 Führung | Faszination Englische Gärten: Gestaltung und Pflanzen |