Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Biological responses to climate change have not kept pace with recent environmental change, either because species have resistance mechanisms or slow reactions that are creating delayed sensitivity. If the former, species exhibiting slow change are least vulnerable, while if the latter those exhibiting slow change are most vulnerable. The chairholder will combine historical datasets with field and lab experiments to relate species¿ differences in resistance or sensitivity to patterns of recent change. This will reveal whether slow change indicates high or low vulnerability, providing critical information to resource managers and policy makers about how climate change is reshaping biodiversity.