Project: Integrating Ancient DNA and Ecological Modelling to Quantify the Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity
Forecasts accounting for future changes in temperature tend to predict high rates of species extinctions over the next 100 years. In particular, there is growing concern about the survival of mammal species in Europe. However, such predictions include high uncertainty in how species respond to environmental change and habitat availability, i.e. whether species will chase new habitats, adapt or go extinct. In this context, the Climigrate team has investigated what happened in the last Ice Age, when dramatic changes in temperature lead to large-scale re-distribution of many species, which can reduce uncertainty as to future predictions. More precisely, the Climigrate team aimed at: 1. Significantly improving the understanding of species/population responses to large-scale environmental change by analysing ancient DNA and responses of species distribution in the last Ice Age; 2. Improving forecasts of future species responses to climate change, reducing their uncertainty and allowing for an improvement of conservation strategies.
| Acronym | Climigrate |
| Website | visit project website |
| Network | BIODIVERSA |
| Call | Biodiversity: Linking Scientific Advancement to Policy and Practice |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Holloway University of London - School of Biological Sciences | Coordinator | United Kingdom | |
| University of Tromsø - Department of Biology | Partner | Norway | |
| Uppsala University - Department of Evolution, Genomics and Systematics | Partner | Sweden |