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Meadows delineated in the Sierra Nevada wth refugial status and connectivity rankings–WellConnected (WC), ReallyWellConnected (RC), Stable. Satisfies the delivery of “Sierra Nevada Connectivity Maps” and “Sierra Nevada Meadows Map”. Maps of the Sierra Nevada Meadows designated by their connectivity classification and whether they are expected to have a climate different than historic (1910-1939). We generated maps for modern climate (1970-1999) and four future climate scenarios, broken down into 30 year intervals, in which we assumed connectivity would not change because resistance and conductance surfaces were static. Data for the map are polygon shapefiles of meadows, processed first by buffer and dissolve in...
Website: “Climate Change Refugia” website features a dynamic, interactive refugia map and all deliverables
Understanding recent biogeographic responses to climate change is fundamental for improving our predictions of likely future responses and guiding conservation planning at both local and global scales. Studies of observed biogeographic responses to 20th century climate change have principally examined effects related to ubiquitous increases in temperature – collectively termed a warming fingerprint. Although the importance of changes in other aspects of climate – particularly precipitation and water availability – is widely acknowledged from a theoretical standpoint and supported by paleontological evidence, we lack a practical understanding of how these changes interact with temperature to drive biogeographic responses....
This project used species distribution modeling, population genetics, and geospatial analysis of historical vs. modern vertebrate populations to identify climate change refugia and population connectivity across the Sierra Nevada. It is hypothesized that climate change refugia will increase persistence and stability of populations and, as a result, maintain higher genetic diversity. This work helps managers assess the need to include connectivity and refugia in climate change adaptation strategies. Results help Sierra Nevada land managers allocate limited resources, aid future scenario assessment at landscape scales, and develop a performance measure for assessing resilience.
Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2011, 2013, CA, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Conservation Design, All tags...
We conducted detailed resurveys of a montane mammal, Urocitellus beldingi, to examine the effects of climate change on persistence along the trailing edge of its range. Of 74 California sites where U. beldingi were historically recorded (1902–1966), 42 per cent were extirpated, with no evidence for colonization of previously unoccupied sites. Increases in both precipitation and temperature predicted site extirpations, potentially owing to snowcover loss. Surprisingly, human land-use change buffered climate change impacts, leading to increased persistence and abundance. Excluding human-modified sites, U. beldingi has shown an upslope range retraction of 255 m. Generalized additive models of past distribution were...
Sites were chosen from Yosemite National Park maps. Larger meadows were prioritized and although most the meadows were within a day’s hike from a trailhead, several were tens of kilometers from the nearest road. Previous research (Morelli et al 2012 Proceedings of the Royal Society B) showed that detectability was very high (>95% with only one visit) so most sites were visited only one or two times although always with two experienced observers. Sites were surveyed on foot for at least 30 minutes during morning or evening hours. A site would be considered occupied if only one Belding’s ground squirrel was detected but in reality numerous individuals were detected at all occupied sites.
Are there places that buffer species from climate change? If so, where are they, and can species get there? California natural resource managers need to develop climate change adaptation strategies to address the responses of species to warming trends, shifting precipitation regimes, and changes in vegetation communities. Climate change refugia – areas that remain relatively stable as the climate changes – are important to consider in adaptation planning, but little was known about the nature and distribution of these places.In the CA LCC-funded project “Determining Landscape Connectivity and Climate Change Refugia Across the Sierra Nevada”, researchers mapped the meadows of the Sierra Nevada and used data on the...
We sampled 187 adult or sub-adult Belding’s ground squirrels at 15 sites across California from Modoc County to the southern Sierra Nevada from 2003 to 2011, with the majority of samples obtained in 2010 and 2011. Ground squirrels were trapped in Sherman or Tomahawk Live Traps. Genetic samples were collected through an ear snip or from a liver biopsy during preparation of museum skins. DNA was extracted using standard methods and amplified using ten polymorphic microsatellite loci optimized from protocols developed based on other sciurid species. We tested for and, where necessary, adjusted for null alleles, as well as Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and linkage disequilibrium. To assign individuals to populations,...
Climate refugia management has been proposed as a climate adaptation strategy in the face of global change. Key to this strategy is identification of these areas as well as an understanding of how they are connected on the landscape. Focusing on meadows of the Sierra Nevada in California, we examined multiple factors affecting connectivity using circuit theory, and determined how patches have been and are expected to be affected by climate change. Connectivity surfaces varied depending upon the underlying hypothesis, although meadow area and elevation were important features for higher connectivity. Climate refugia that would promote population persistence were identified from downscaled climate layers, based on...
Refugia have long been studied from paleontological and biogeographical perspectives to understand how populations persisted during past periods of unfavorable climate. Recently, researchers have applied the idea to contemporary landscapes to identify climate change refugia, here defined as areas relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time that enable persistence of valued physical, ecological, and socio-cultural resources. We differentiate historical and contemporary views, and characterize physical and ecological processes that create and maintain climate change refugia. We then delineate how refugia can fit into existing decision support frameworks for climate adaptation and describe seven...
This is a table describing information on the majority of meadows in Yosemite National Park. This table includes information that was developed by this project, namely columns describing connectivity value based on different predictors and a measure of whether the meadow is a climate change refugium.