Biodiversity redistribution under climate change: Impacts on ecosystems and human well-being

Distributions of Earth's species are changing at accelerating rates, increasingly driven by human-mediated climate change. Such changes are already altering the composition of ecological communities, but beyond conservation of natural systems, how and why does this matter? We review evidence that climate-driven species redistribution at regional to global scales affects ecosystem functioning, human well-being, and the dynamics of climate change itself. Production of natural resources required for food security, patterns of disease transmission, and processes of carbon sequestration are all altered by changes in species distribution. Consideration of these effects of biodiversity redistribution is critical yet…

• YU
  Yale University
• CO
  Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, Australian Research Council
• NC
  National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
• DA
  David and Elaine Potter Foundation
• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: NE/M007634/1, NE/N018036/1, NE/L008750/1, noc010010
• CS
  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
• IP
  Ian Potter Foundation
• NR
  National Research Foundation
• MD
  Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad

  Award: CGL2015-68438-P
• NO
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/N018036/1, noc010010, NE/L008750/1, NE/M007634/1
• FP
  Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

  Award: CIBIO-UID/BIA/50027/2013
• NM
  National Marine Fisheries Service
• CO
  Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian Research Council

  Award: DP130100250