Greater realism in species distribution
The RANGESHIFT (Modelling the response of biodiversity to environmental change) project provided a new theoretical understanding of how a landscape's spatial structure contributes to the success or failure of range shifting by species. This was achieved using a landscape-based approach for modelling biodiversity responses to environmental change. Project partners developed a modelling tool for simulating population responses of several artificial species to various woodland management scenarios. These scenarios included restoration, creation and improvement of forest habitats within United Kingdom landscapes with varied habitat compositions. The artificial species represented long- and short-range dispersers and a number of life history strategies. Results showed the differences in the speed of range expansion for each of the studied species, depending on the management strategy and landscape composition. The rate at which the landscape changes can also play an important role in the range expansion process. Researchers also developed a model for investigating the accumulation of mutations during the formation of species range limits. Results from the RANGESHIFT study revealed the important role deleterious mutations may play in range formation. Dispersal was found to be a key factor in the speed of range shifting. Researchers therefore investigated how individuals acquire and use information in order to make more adaptive dispersal decisions. It was theorised that animals may use a combination of genetically encoded and acquired information to guide their behaviour. This data was essential for understanding gene flow and speciation, as well as the local persistence of species facing local extinction. RANGESHIFT enabled scientists to accurately model the ecological and genetic dynamics of range shifting across different landscapes. The project also identified strategies for habitat creation and restoration that can be easily applied to real landscapes, thereby optimising the number of species able to effectively shift their ranges as the climate changes.
