TY - JOUR
T1 - Bioclimatic transect networks
T2 - powerful observatories of ecological change
AU - Caddy-Retalic, Stefan
AU - Andersen, Alan N.
AU - Aspinwall, Michael J.
AU - Breed, Martin F.
AU - Byrne, Margaret
AU - Christmas, Matthew J.
AU - Dong, Ning
AU - Evans, Bradley J.
AU - Fordham, Damien A.
AU - Guerin, Greg R.
AU - Hoffmann, Ary A.
AU - Hughes, Alice C.
AU - van Leeuwen, Stephen J.
AU - McInerney, Francesca A.
AU - Prober, Suzanne M.
AU - Rossetto, Maurizio
AU - Rymer, Paul D.
AU - Steane, Dorothy A.
AU - Wardle, Glenda M.
AU - Lowe, Andrew J.
N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2017. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.
PY - 2017/7
Y1 - 2017/7
N2 - Transects that traverse substantial climate gradients are important tools for climate change research and allow questions on the extent to which phenotypic variation associates with climate, the link between climate and species distributions, and variation in sensitivity to climate change among biomes to be addressed. However, the potential limitations of individual transect studies have recently been highlighted. Here, we argue that replicating and networking transects, along with the introduction of experimental treatments, addresses these concerns. Transect networks provide cost-effective and robust insights into ecological and evolutionary adaptation and improve forecasting of ecosystem change. We draw on the experience and research facilitated by the Australian Transect Network to demonstrate our case, with examples, to clarify how population- and community-level studies can be integrated with observations from multiple transects, manipulative experiments, genomics, and ecological modeling to gain novel insights into how species and systems respond to climate change. This integration can provide a spatiotemporal understanding of past and future climate-induced changes, which will inform effective management actions for promoting biodiversity resilience.
AB - Transects that traverse substantial climate gradients are important tools for climate change research and allow questions on the extent to which phenotypic variation associates with climate, the link between climate and species distributions, and variation in sensitivity to climate change among biomes to be addressed. However, the potential limitations of individual transect studies have recently been highlighted. Here, we argue that replicating and networking transects, along with the introduction of experimental treatments, addresses these concerns. Transect networks provide cost-effective and robust insights into ecological and evolutionary adaptation and improve forecasting of ecosystem change. We draw on the experience and research facilitated by the Australian Transect Network to demonstrate our case, with examples, to clarify how population- and community-level studies can be integrated with observations from multiple transects, manipulative experiments, genomics, and ecological modeling to gain novel insights into how species and systems respond to climate change. This integration can provide a spatiotemporal understanding of past and future climate-induced changes, which will inform effective management actions for promoting biodiversity resilience.
KW - change detection
KW - community turnover
KW - ecological forecasting
KW - environmental gradients
KW - spatial analogues
KW - transect replication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85019558321&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ece3.2995
DO - 10.1002/ece3.2995
M3 - Article
C2 - 28690791
AN - SCOPUS:85019558321
SN - 2045-7758
VL - 7
SP - 4607
EP - 4619
JO - Ecology and Evolution
JF - Ecology and Evolution
IS - 13
ER -