Reimagining species on the move across space and time

Alexa L Fredston¹, Morgan W Tingley², Montague H C Neate-Clegg³, Luke J Evans⁴, Laura H Antão⁵, Natalie C Ban⁶, I-Ching Chen⁷, Yi-Wen Chen⁷, Lise Comte⁸, David P Edwards⁹, Birgitta Evengard¹⁰, Belen Fadrique¹¹, Sophie H Falkeis¹², Robert Guralnick¹³, David H Klinges¹⁴, Jonas J Lembrechts¹⁵, Jonathan Lenoir¹⁶, Juliano Palacios-Abrantes¹⁷, Aníbal Pauchard¹⁸, Gretta Pecl¹⁹, Malin L Pinsky²⁰, Rebecca A Senior²¹, Jennifer E Smith²², Lydia G Soifer²³, Jennifer M Sunday²⁴, Ken D Tape²⁵, Peter Washam²⁶, Brett R Scheffers⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. Electronic address: fredston@ucsc.edu.
² Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr S # 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: mtingley@ucla.edu.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr S # 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
⁴ Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁵ Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 1, P.O. Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; University of Turku, Vesilinnantie 5, 20500 Turku, Finland.
⁶ School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
⁷ Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, No.1 University Road, 701, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁸ Conservation Science Partners, Inc., 11050 Pioneer Trail, Suite 202, Truckee, CA 96161, USA.
⁹ Department of Plant Sciences and Centre for Global Wood Security, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke St, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umea University, Universitetstorget 4, 90187 Umea, Sweden.
¹¹ School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZT, UK.
¹² Studio Sophie Falkeis, Engerthstrasse 124, 1200 Vienna, Austria.
¹³ Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
¹⁴ School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
¹⁵ Ecology & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; Plants & Ecosystems, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium.
¹⁶ UMR CNRS 7058 'Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés' (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80000 Amiens, France.
¹⁷ Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
¹⁸ Laboratorio de Invasiones Biológicas (LIB), Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile; Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Victoria 631, Concepción, Chile.
¹⁹ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia; Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia.
²⁰ Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
²¹ Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
²² Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia.
²³ School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 2035 McCarty Hall D, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
²⁴ Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Du Docteur-Penfield Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada.
²⁵ Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2156 N Kotukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.
²⁶ Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Space Sciences Bldg, 404, 122 Sciences Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.

PMID: 40345938
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2025.03.015

Free article

Review

Reimagining species on the move across space and time

Alexa L Fredston et al. Trends Ecol Evol. 2025 Jul.

Free article

. 2025 Jul;40(7):629-638.

doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2025.03.015. Epub 2025 May 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. Electronic address: fredston@ucsc.edu.
² Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr S # 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: mtingley@ucla.edu.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr S # 951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
⁴ Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁵ Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 1, P.O. Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; University of Turku, Vesilinnantie 5, 20500 Turku, Finland.
⁶ School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
⁷ Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, No.1 University Road, 701, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁸ Conservation Science Partners, Inc., 11050 Pioneer Trail, Suite 202, Truckee, CA 96161, USA.
⁹ Department of Plant Sciences and Centre for Global Wood Security, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK; Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke St, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umea University, Universitetstorget 4, 90187 Umea, Sweden.
¹¹ School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZT, UK.
¹² Studio Sophie Falkeis, Engerthstrasse 124, 1200 Vienna, Austria.
¹³ Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
¹⁴ School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
¹⁵ Ecology & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; Plants & Ecosystems, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium.
¹⁶ UMR CNRS 7058 'Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés' (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80000 Amiens, France.
¹⁷ Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
¹⁸ Laboratorio de Invasiones Biológicas (LIB), Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile; Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Victoria 631, Concepción, Chile.
¹⁹ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia; Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia.
²⁰ Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
²¹ Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
²² Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania, Hobart, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004, Australia.
²³ School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 2035 McCarty Hall D, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
²⁴ Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Du Docteur-Penfield Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada.
²⁵ Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2156 N Kotukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.
²⁶ Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Space Sciences Bldg, 404, 122 Sciences Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.

PMID: 40345938
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2025.03.015

Abstract

Climate change is already leaving a broad footprint of impacts on biodiversity, from an individual caterpillar emerging earlier in spring to dominant plant communities migrating poleward. Despite the various modes of how species are on the move, we primarily document shifting species along only one gradient (e.g., latitude or phenology) and along one dimension (space or time). In this opinion article we present a unifying framework for integrating the study of species on the move over space and time and from micro to macro scales. Future conservation planning and natural resource management will depend on our ability to use this framework to improve understanding, attribution, and prediction of species on the move.

Keywords: biogeography; phenological shift; range shift; spatial ecology; temporal ecology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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Reimagining species on the move across space and time

Affiliations

Reimagining species on the move across space and time

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical