Investigating odonates' response to climate change in Great Britain: A tale of two strategies

• DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13816
• Publication Date: 2024-02-08T06:33:48Z
• Authors: Daisy O'Neill; Len Shaffrey; Jessica Neumann; Chris Cheffings; Ken Norris; Nathalie Pettorelli
• Keywords: Occupancy; Environmental niche modelling; Species distribution; Macroecology

Abstract Aim Species are largely thought to maintain broadly static niches over time, an assumption underpinning much theoretical ecology including the implementation of ecological models project species' current and future distributions. Here, we assess niche conservatism in odonates Great Britain past six decades by simultaneously quantifying changes species geographic distribution evaluating temporal trends realised climatic niche. Location Britain. Methods Distributional were assessed calculating centres deriving occupancy trends. Changes using a principal component analysis quantify overlap, information on both climate averages extremes. Results We show that dragonflies damselflies displayed distinct responses changing conditions. Dragonflies shifting higher latitudes maintained, average, greater consistency their niches, providing evidence for tracking. Greater flexibility increased other hand, more common damselflies. Main Conclusions unveil divergence national scale, casting doubt relevance predicting impacts change this, potentially other, groups species. More broadly, our results call multi‐species comparisons spatial distributions during recent periods conditions improve ability contrast vulnerability risk ongoing crisis.