Animal-mediated plant niche tracking in a changing climate

Tristan A Nuñez; Laura R Prugh; Janneke Hille Ris Lambers

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2023.02.005

Animal-mediated plant niche tracking in a changing climate

Trends Ecol Evol. 2023 Jul;38(7):654-665. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.02.005. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Authors

Tristan A Nuñez¹, Laura R Prugh², Janneke Hille Ris Lambers³

Affiliations

¹ Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA; School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA. Electronic address: tnunez@uw.edu.
² School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA.
³ Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA; Plant Ecology, Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.

PMID: 36932024
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.02.005

Abstract

Over half of plant species are animal-dispersed, and our understanding of how animals can help plants move in response to climate change - a process known as niche tracking - is limited, but advancing rapidly. Recent research efforts find evidence that animals are helping plants track their niches. They also identify key conditions needed for animal-mediated niche tracking to occur, including alignment of the timing of seed availability, the directionality of animal movements, and microhabitat conditions where seeds are deposited. A research framework that measures niche tracking effectiveness by considering all parts of the niche-tracking process, and links together data and models from multiple disciplines, will lead to further insight and inform actions to help ecosystems adapt to a changing world.

Keywords: climate change; niche modeling; niche tracking; seed dispersal; seed rain; zoochory.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Climate Change
Ecosystem*
Plants*