Projecting range limits with coupled thermal tolerance - climate change models: an example based on gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) along the U.S. east coast

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52294. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052294. Epub 2012 Dec 20.

Abstract

We couple a species range limit hypothesis with the output of an ensemble of general circulation models to project the poleward range limit of gray snapper. Using laboratory-derived thermal limits and statistical downscaling from IPCC AR4 general circulation models, we project that gray snapper will shift northwards; the magnitude of this shift is dependent on the magnitude of climate change. We also evaluate the uncertainty in our projection and find that statistical uncertainty associated with the experimentally-derived thermal limits is the largest contributor (∼ 65%) to overall quantified uncertainty. This finding argues for more experimental work aimed at understanding and parameterizing the effects of climate change and variability on marine species.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Climate Change*
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Perciformes / physiology*
  • United States

Grants and funding

The authors have no support or funding to report.