Central and rear-edge populations can be equally vulnerable to warming

S Bennett; T Wernberg; B A Joy; T De Bettignies; Alexandra H Campbell

doi:10.1038/ncomms10280

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Central and rear-edge populations can be equally vulnerable to warming

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Central and rear-edge populations can be equally vulnerable to warming

S Bennett, T Wernberg, B A Joy, T De Bettignies and Alexandra H Campbell

Nature Communications, Vol.6, 10280

2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10280

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Abstract

Rear (warm) edge populations are often considered more susceptible to warming than central (cool) populations because of the warmer ambient temperatures they experience, but this overlooks the potential for local variation in thermal tolerances. Here we provide conceptual models illustrating how sensitivity to warming is affected throughout a species' geographical range for locally adapted and non-adapted populations. We test these models for a range-contracting seaweed using observations from a marine heatwave and a 12-month experiment, translocating seaweeds among central, present and historic range edge locations. Growth, reproductive development and survivorship display different temperature thresholds among central and rear-edge populations, but share a 2.5 °C anomaly threshold. Range contraction, therefore, reflects variation in local anomalies rather than differences in absolute temperatures. This demonstrates that warming sensitivity can be similar throughout a species geographical range and highlights the importance of incorporating local adaptation and acclimatization into climate change vulnerability assessments.

Details

Title: Central and rear-edge populations can be equally vulnerable to warming
Authors: S Bennett (Author) - University of Western Australia
T Wernberg (Author) - University of Western Australia
B A Joy (Author) - University of Western Australia
T De Bettignies (Author) - University of Western Australia
Alexandra H Campbell (Author) - University of New South Wales
Publication details: Nature Communications, Vol.6, 10280; 7
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Date published: 2015
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10280
ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
Copyright note: Copyright © 2015 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Biomedicine; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450866502621
Output Type: Journal article
Research Statement: false