Bias in Discontinuous Elevational Transects for Tracking Species Range Shifts.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is compelling species to seek refuge at higher elevations and latitudes. While researchers commonly study these migrations using discontinuous elevational transects, this methodology may introduce significant biases into our understanding of species movement. These potential biases could lead to flawed biodiversity conservation policies if left unexamined. To address this concern, we utilized species distribution data from a novel continuous elevational transect to evaluate the accuracy of discontinuous transect methods. Our analysis focused on how quadrat spacing and survey time intervals affect bias in estimating species range shifts. The results were striking: the widely used settings for discontinuous transects failed to detect 7.2% of species, inaccurately estimated shi

SUBMITTER: Li S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11768634 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature