Mapping present and future potential distribution patterns for a meso-grazer guild in the Baltic Sea.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

The Baltic Sea is one of the world's largest semi-enclosed brackish water bodies characterized by many special features, including endemic species that may be particularly threatened by climate change. We mapped potential distribution patterns under present and future conditions for a community with three trophic levels. We analysed climate-induced changes in the species' distribution patterns and examined possible consequences for the chosen food web.

Location

Baltic Sea and northern Europe.

Methods

We developed two open-source workflow-based analytical tools: one for ecological niche modelling and another for raster layer comparison to compute the extent and intensity of change in species' potential distributions. Individual ecological niche models were generate

SUBMITTER: Leidenberger S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4305211 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature