Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions
Abstract Assisted colonization of vascular plants is considered by many ecologists an important tool to preserve biodiversity threatened by climate change. I argue that assisted colonization may have negative consequences in arctic‐alpine and boreal regions. The observed slow movement of plants towa...
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crwiley:10.1111/cobi.12847 2024-06-02T08:00:33+00:00 Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions Pykälä, Juha 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12847 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fcobi.12847 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/cobi.12847/fullpdf en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Conservation Biology volume 31, issue 3, page 524-530 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 journal-article 2017 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12847 2024-05-03T10:45:10Z Abstract Assisted colonization of vascular plants is considered by many ecologists an important tool to preserve biodiversity threatened by climate change. I argue that assisted colonization may have negative consequences in arctic‐alpine and boreal regions. The observed slow movement of plants toward the north has been an argument for assisted colonization. However, these range shifts may be slow because for many plants microclimatic warming (ignored by advocates of assisted colonization) has been smaller than macroclimatic warming. Arctic‐alpine and boreal plants may have limited possibilities to disperse farther north or to higher elevations. I suggest that arctic‐alpine species are more likely to be driven to extinction because of competitive exclusion by southern species than by increasing temperatures. If so, the future existence of arctic‐alpine and boreal flora may depend on delaying or preventing the migration of plants toward the north to allow northern species to evolve to survive in a warmer climate. In the arctic‐alpine region, preventing the dispersal of trees and shrubs may be the most important method to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The purported conservation benefits of assisted colonization should not be used to promote the migration of invasive species by forestry. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Wiley Online Library Arctic Conservation Biology 31 3 524 530 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
Abstract Assisted colonization of vascular plants is considered by many ecologists an important tool to preserve biodiversity threatened by climate change. I argue that assisted colonization may have negative consequences in arctic‐alpine and boreal regions. The observed slow movement of plants toward the north has been an argument for assisted colonization. However, these range shifts may be slow because for many plants microclimatic warming (ignored by advocates of assisted colonization) has been smaller than macroclimatic warming. Arctic‐alpine and boreal plants may have limited possibilities to disperse farther north or to higher elevations. I suggest that arctic‐alpine species are more likely to be driven to extinction because of competitive exclusion by southern species than by increasing temperatures. If so, the future existence of arctic‐alpine and boreal flora may depend on delaying or preventing the migration of plants toward the north to allow northern species to evolve to survive in a warmer climate. In the arctic‐alpine region, preventing the dispersal of trees and shrubs may be the most important method to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The purported conservation benefits of assisted colonization should not be used to promote the migration of invasive species by forestry. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pykälä, Juha |
spellingShingle |
Pykälä, Juha Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
author_facet |
Pykälä, Juha |
author_sort |
Pykälä, Juha |
title |
Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
title_short |
Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
title_full |
Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
title_fullStr |
Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
title_sort |
relation between extinction and assisted colonization of plants in the arctic‐alpine and boreal regions |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12847 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fcobi.12847 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/cobi.12847/fullpdf |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Climate change |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change |
op_source |
Conservation Biology volume 31, issue 3, page 524-530 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12847 |
container_title |
Conservation Biology |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
524 |
op_container_end_page |
530 |
_version_ |
1800744585484304384 |