The strength of interspecific competition modulates the eco-evolutionary response to climate change

• Climate change is predicted to have major implications for global biodiversity. Dispersal and evolution may become crucial for species survival, as species must either adapt or migrate to track the changing climate. However, migration and evolution do not occur in vacuum – the biotic community in which these processes play out may modulate their effect on biodiversity. Here, we use an eco-evolutionary, spatially explicit, multi-species model that allows us to examine the interactive effects of competition, adaptation and dispersal on species richness in plant communities under global warming. We find that there is a larger decline in global species richness when interspecific competition is strong. Furthermore, there is a three-way interaction between interspecific competition, evolution and dispersal that creates a complex pattern of biodiversity responses, in which both evolution and dispersal can either increase or decrease the magnitude of species loss. This interaction arises for at least two reasons: 1) different levels of dispersal, evolution and competition creates differences in local and global community structure before climate change, and 2) competitive interactions determine whether the benefits of dispersal and/or evolution (climate tracking and adaptation) outweighs the risks (competitive exclusion).

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Annan biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Other Biological Topics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Climate change

increased temperature

biodiversity loss

species extinctions

competition communities

dispersal

migration

invasion

evolution

local adaptation

tolerance curves

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)