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Craig Moritz

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....
Determining Landscape Connectivity and Climate Change Refugia Across the Sierra Nevada
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...
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