Understanding niche shifts: using current and historical data to model the invasive redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor

M HILL; AA Hoffmann; S Macfadyen; PA Umina; J Elith

Journal article

Understanding niche shifts: using current and historical data to model the invasive redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor

M HILL, AA Hoffmann, S Macfadyen, PA Umina, J Elith

Diversity and Distributions | WILEY-BLACKWELL | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00844.x

Abstract

Aim Niche conservatism is key to understanding species responses to environmental stress such as climate change or arriving in new geographical space such as biological invasion. Halotydeus destructor is an important agricultural pest in Australia and has been the focus of extensive surveys that suggest this species has undergone a niche shift to expand its invasive range inland to hotter and drier environments. We employ modern correlative modelling methods to examine niche conservatism in H. destructor and highlight ecological differences between historical and current distributions. Location Australia and South Africa. Methods We compile comprehensive distribution data sets for H. destruc..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Ary Hoffmann Author

Paul Umina Author

Jane Elith Author

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Grants

Awarded by Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC)

Awarded by Australian Research Council (ARC)

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Aston Arthur and Stuart McColl for collection of samples. Eddie Ueckermann supplied additional distribution data for South Africa. Mike Hutchinson and Tingbao Xu of the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, supplied a pre-release version of ANUCLIM (6.1) that included new Australian climate surfaces. Bruce Webber and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. MPH is supported by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC) through a Grains Research Scholarship (GRS154) and a National Invertebrate Pest Initiative studentship at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO). JE is funded by Australian Research Council (ARC) grants FT0991640 and LP0989537 and AAH by ARC grant FL100100066.