Systems that are limited to particular environments will have less opportunity to migrate in response to climate change.

Submitted by sdhandler on

Some species and forest types are confined to particular habitats on the landscape, whether through requirements for hydrologic regimes, soil types, or other reasons. Similar to species occurring in fragmented landscapes, isolated species and systems face additional barriers to migration. Widespread species may also have particular habitat requirements. For example, sugar maple is often limited to soils that are rich in nutrients like calcium, so this species may actually have less available suitable habitat than might be projected solely from temperature and precipitation patterns. Riparian forests are not expected to be able to migrate to upland areas because many species depend on seasonal flood dynamics for regeneration and a competitive advantage. Similarly, lowland conifer swamps contain a unique mix of species that are adapted to low pH values, peat soils, and particular water table regimes. These species face additional challenges in migration compared to more-widespread species with broad ecological tolerances.

Evidence
Agreement