Researchers found that the Ontario freshwater Lake Chub is at risk from species range expansion facilitated by climate change. (Image Credit:Don Jackson/University of Toronto)
It’s difficult to predict the effects of climate change on ecosystems. Researchers in Toronto have monitored lakes in Ontario to help predict the impact of predators when their range shifts.
The research team found that resident species are more likely to survive if their ancestors had a change to evolve alongside the new predator and if they had a greater body length.
The new method allows researchers to identify the species most at risk due to the introduction of new predators caused by range expansion.
Original research paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences on July 15, 2015.
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