Global Warming, Elevational Range Shifts, and Lowland Biotic Attrition in the Wet Tropics
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Material Information

Title:
Global Warming, Elevational Range Shifts, and Lowland Biotic Attrition in the Wet Tropics
Series Title:
Science Volume 322
Creator:
Robert K. Colwell
Gunnar Brehm
Catherine L. Cardelus
Alex C. Gilman
John T. Longino
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
climate change
global warming
tropics

Notes

Summary:
Many studies suggest that global warming is driving species ranges poleward and toward higher elevations at temperate latitudes, but evidence for range shifts is scarce for the tropics, where the shallow latitudinal temperature gradient makes upslope shifts more likely than poleward shifts. Based on new data for plants and insects on an elevational transect in Costa Rica, we assess the potential for lowland biotic attrition, range-shift gaps, and mountaintop extinctions under projected warming. We conclude that tropical lowland biotas may face a level of net lowland biotic attrition without parallel at higher latitudes (where range shifts may be compensated for by species from lower latitudes) and that a high proportion of tropical species soon faces gaps between current and projected elevational ranges.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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