Article
The compounding consequences of wildfire and climate change for a high‐elevation wildflower (Saxifraga austromontana)
Journal of Biogeography
(2018)
Abstract
High‐elevation plants are disproportionally affected by climate change. As temperatures rise, the amount of available alpine habitat in the Rocky Mountains will decrease resulting in potential local extinctions of plant species. In addition to the direct effects of climate‐driven habitat loss, alpine plants must also respond to indirect effects, such as changes in disturbance regimes. One notable shift is the increase of wildfire frequency in regions where fire was previously rare or absent, including the alpine. We hypothesized that direct climatic changes compounded with increased wildfire frequency will reduce the future suitable habitat of high‐elevation plants more than if climate was considered alone.
Keywords
- Alpine,
- Climate change,
- Rocky Mountain Floristic Region,
- Saxifraga austromontana,
- Species distribution model,
- wildfire
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2018
DOI
10.1111/jbi.13441
Citation Information
Trevor D.S. Bloom, Trevor D.S. Bloom, Aquila Flower, Michael Medler, et al.. "The compounding consequences of wildfire and climate change for a high‐elevation wildflower (Saxifraga austromontana)" Journal of Biogeography Vol. 45 Iss. 12 (2018) p. 2755 - 2765 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/aquila-flower/26/