Rachel Standish

As climate changes, some plant species will start to die out in areas where climate becomes unsuited for them. Individual plants will not be able to move to find new areas where climate is more suitable, of course, but through seed dispersal, some species may be able to establish new colonies in areas that become suitable. In this way, the species or population may be able to survive by moving through the landscape and thus ‘keeping up’ with climate change. But this will be made more difficult if the landscape is fragmented by agriculture, or if the species has poor seed dispersal. Which species will be able to move fast enough, and which will lag behind? Can we do anything to help them? The answer to these questions can be provided by PPunCC.