Forecasting plant migration rates: Managing uncertainty for risk assessment

S. I. Higgins, J. S. Clark, R. Nathan, T. Hovestadt, F. Schurr, J. M.V. Fragoso, M. R. Aguiar, E. Ribbens, S. Lavorel

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

148 Scopus citations

Abstract

1. Anthropogenic changes in the global climate are shifting the potential ranges of many plant species. 2. Changing climates will allow some species the opportunity to expand their range, others may experience a contraction in their potential range, while the current and future ranges of some species may not overlap. Our capacity to generalize about the threat these range shifts pose to plant diversity is limited by many sources of uncertainty. 3. In this paper we summarize sources of uncertainty for migration forecasts and suggest a research protocol for making forecasts in the context of uncertainty.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)341-347
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Ecology
Volume91
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2003

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Long-distance dispersal
  • Range shift
  • Seed dispersal
  • Spread rate

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Plant Science

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