Phylogenetic patterns of species loss in Thoreau's woods are driven by climate change

By C. G. Willis, B. Ruhfel, R. Primack, A. Miller‐Rushing, Charles C. Davis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008

623 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Climate change has led to major changes in the phenology (the timing of seasonal activities, such as flowering) of some species but not others. The extent to which flowering-time response to temperature is shared among closely related species might have important consequences for community-wide patterns of species loss under rapid climate change. Henry David Thoreau initiated a dataset of the Concord, Massachusetts, flora that spans ≈150 years and provides information on changes in species abundance and flowering time. When these data are analyzed in a phylogenetic context, they indicate that change in abundance is strongly correlated with flowering-time response. Species that do not respond to temperature have decreased greatly in abundance, and include among others anemones and buttercups [Ranunculaceae pro parte (p.p.)], asters and campanulas (Asterales), bluets (Rubiaceae p.p.), bladderworts (Lentibulariaceae), dogwoods (Cornaceae), lilies (Liliales), mints (Lamiaceae p.p.), orchids (Orchidaceae), roses (Rosaceae p.p.), saxifrages (Saxifragales), and violets (Malpighiales). Because flowering-time response traits are shared among closely related species, our findings suggest that climate change has affected and will likely continue to shape the phylogenetically biased pattern of species loss in Thoreau's woods.

Subfields: Ecological Modeling, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3852d1666d20bc0f12481caa9c24e0e3757c26c5

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Citations in the corpus

H2A.Z-containing nucleosomes mediate the thermosensory response in Arabidopsis. (2010, neutral): “Temperature Perception and Climate Change Although many plants have shown a rapid acceleration of flowering time in response to climate change (Fitter and Fitter, 2002), species that do not are going locally extinct at a high rate (Willis et al., 2008).”
Dynamic modelling of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony growth and failure (2013, background): “This is important since a conequence of climate change is an increased variability in spring limate and shifts in flowering seasons (Menzel and Fabian, 1999; alther et al., 2002; Willis et al., 2008).”
The influence of paleoclimate on present-day patterns in biodiversity and ecosystems (2015, background): “Also pointing to deep-time paleoclimatic legacies, worldwide patterns in regional phylogenetic assemblage structure in the three major conifer clades are strongly and similarly related to Miocene, Pliocene, and current climate, with a smaller but still important additional link to late Cenozoic prec”
Germination, Postgermination Adaptation, and Species Ecological Ranges (2010, background): “Seed predation is frequently a major source of mortality (Wenny 2000), and if conditions are favorable for seedling growth then rapid germination could be advantageous (Xiao et al. 2007).”
Long‐term temporal changes of plant phenology in the Western Mediterranean (2009, background): “…deeper transformations in ecosystem functioning through shifts in the interspecific relationships and competitive abilities for limited resources, such as water, nutrients or light (Fitter & Fitter, 2002; Ogaya & Peñuelas, 2004; Llorens & Peñuelas, 2005; Sherry et al., 2007; Willis et al., 2008).”
The merging of community ecology and phylogenetic biology. (2009, methodology): “An important emerging area of investigation focuses on using phylogenetics to understand and predict long-term community dynamics (Willis et al. 2008), ecosystem processes (Cadotte et al. 2008) and responses of ecosystems to global change (Edwards et al. 2007).”
How does climate change cause extinction? (2013, neutral): “These losses can then be related to specific biological traits (e.g. greater loss of species with tempera-ture-cued flowering times versus those using photoperiod, or species for which the site is near their southern versus northern range limits [84]).”
Uncovering, Collecting, and Analyzing Records to Investigate the Ecological Impacts of Climate Change: A Template from Thoreau's Concord (2012, background): “In contrast, the species that have inflexible flowering dates—that is, species with flowering dates that are minimally affected by temperature—have on average declined in abundance or have gone locally extinct (Willis et al. 2008).”
Niche conservatism as an emerging principle in ecology and conservation biology. (2010, neutral): “Willis et al. (2008) found that declines in abundance (and local extinctions) of plant species in ThoreauÕs woods (Concord, Massachusetts, USA) during the last 150 years are related to different responses to flowering times, which show strong phylogenetic signal.”
Bromus Response to Climate and Projected Changes with Climate Change (2016, background): “, many annual species and species with high phenotypic plasticity in phenology (Willis et al. 2008).”
Geographic variation in vulnerability to climate warming in a tropical Caribbean lizard (2012, background): “It has been suggested that the negative effects of climate warmingmay bemitigated by shifts in phenology (e.g. Parmesan 2006; Bradshaw &Holzapfel 2008; Willis et al. 2008; Pau et al. 2011).”
Evolutionary Legacy Effects on Ecosystems: Biogeographic Origins, Plant Traits, and Implications for Management in the Era of Global Change (2016, background): “However, there is evidence for phylogenetic conservatism in phenology (Davies et al. 2013, Willis et al. 2008).”
Factors affecting bee communities in forest openings and adjacent mature forest (2017, background): “, 2014), but could provide guidance to restoring pollination services to forested landscapes, the lack of which has been implicated in the decline of some mature forest plants (Willis et al., 2008) as well as other flora around the globe (Biesmeijer et al.”
Climate Change Effects on Insects: Implications for Crop Protection and Food Security (2014, background): “Global warming may change the flowering times of plants, leading to ecological consequences, such as the introduction of new insect pests and the attainment of pest status by minor insect pests (Fitter and Fitter 2002; Parmesan and Yohe 2003; Willis et al. 2008).”