Diurnal temperature range as a key predictor of plants’ elevation ranges globally

Arnaud Gallou (), Alistair S. Jump, Joshua S. Lynn, Richard Field, Severin D. H. Irl, Manuel J. Steinbauer, Carl Beierkuhnlein, Jan-Chang Chen, Chang-Hung Chou, Andreas Hemp, Yohannes Kidane, Christian König, Holger Kreft, Alireza Naqinezhad, Arkadiusz Nowak, Jan-Niklas Nuppenau, Panayiotis Trigas, Jonathan P. Price, Carl A. Roland, Andreas H. Schweiger, Patrick Weigelt, Suzette G. A. Flantua and John-Arvid Grytnes
Additional contact information
Arnaud Gallou: University of Bergen
Alistair S. Jump: University of Stirling
Joshua S. Lynn: University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
Richard Field: University of Nottingham
Severin D. H. Irl: Goethe-University Frankfurt
Manuel J. Steinbauer: University of Bergen
Carl Beierkuhnlein: University of Bayreuth
Jan-Chang Chen: National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
Chang-Hung Chou: Academia Sinica
Andreas Hemp: University of Bayreuth
Yohannes Kidane: University of Bayreuth
Christian König: University of Göttingen
Holger Kreft: University of Göttingen
Alireza Naqinezhad: University of Mazandaran
Arkadiusz Nowak: University of Opole
Jan-Niklas Nuppenau: Stockholm University
Panayiotis Trigas: Agricultural University of Athens
Jonathan P. Price: University of Hawaii
Carl A. Roland: Denali National Park
Andreas H. Schweiger: University of Hohenheim
Patrick Weigelt: University of Göttingen
Suzette G. A. Flantua: University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
John-Arvid Grytnes: University of Bergen

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract A prominent hypothesis in ecology is that larger species ranges are found in more variable climates because species develop broader environmental tolerances, predicting a positive range size-temperature variability relationship. However, this overlooks the extreme temperatures that variable climates impose on species, with upper or lower thermal limits more likely to be exceeded. Accordingly, we propose the ‘temperature range squeeze’ hypothesis, predicting a negative range size-temperature variability relationship. We test these contrasting predictions by relating 88,000 elevation range sizes of vascular plants in 44 mountains to short- and long-term temperature variation. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find that species’ range size is negatively correlated with diurnal temperature range. Accurate predictions of short-term temperature variation will become increasingly important for extinction risk assessment in the future.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43477-8

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