Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Native Plant Distributions in the Falkland Islands

PLoS One. 2016 Nov 23;11(11):e0167026. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167026. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

The Falkland Islands are predicted to experience up to 2.2°C rise in mean annual temperature over the coming century, greater than four times the rate over the last century. Our study investigates likely vulnerabilities of a suite of range-restricted species whose distributions are associated with archipelago-wide climatic variation. We used present day climate maps calibrated using local weather data, 2020-2080 climate predictions from regional climate models, non-climate variables derived from a digital terrain model and a comprehensive database on local plant distributions. Weighted mean ensemble models were produced to assess changes in range sizes and overlaps between the current range and protected areas network. Target species included three globally threatened Falkland endemics, Nassauvia falklandica, Nastanthus falklandicus and Plantago moorei; and two nationally threatened species, Acaena antarctica and Blechnum cordatum. Our research demonstrates that temperature increases predicted for the next century have the potential to significantly alter plant distributions across the Falklands. Upland species, in particular, were found to be highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. No known locations of target upland species or the southwestern species Plantago moorei are predicted to remain environmentally suitable in the face of predicted climate change. We identify potential refugia for these species and associated gaps in the current protected areas network. Species currently restricted to the milder western parts of the archipelago are broadly predicted to expand their ranges under warmer temperatures. Our results emphasise the importance of implementing suitable adaptation strategies to offset climate change impacts, particularly site management. There is an urgent need for long-term monitoring and artificial warming experiments; the results of this study will inform the selection of the most suitable locations for these. Results are also helping inform management recommendations for the Falkland Islands Government who seek to better conserve their biodiversity and meet commitments to multi-lateral environmental agreements.

MeSH terms

  • Biodiversity*
  • Climate Change*
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Falkland Islands
  • Models, Biological*
  • Plants*

Grants and funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the EU-BEST initiative (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/best/) for project TEFRA: Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Falklands Islands: a climate change risk assessment (BEST/2012/16). CPC RU BEST Initiative - Nature & Biodiversity - Environment ec.europa.eu. BEST – voluntary scheme for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European overseas – aims to support the conservation of biodiversity. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.