Research
The role of biotic permeability in species’ range dynamics
Trends in Ecology & Evolution · By Emma-Liina Marjakangas, Elisa Barreto, Michael K. Borregaard, Shahar Chaikin, Juan D. Carvajal-Quintero, Katie E. Marshall, Takuji Usui, Mathias M. Pires, Catherine H. Graham & Jean-Philippe Lessard ·
The Brief
- A review article in Trends in Ecology & Evolution proposes the concept of biotic permeability, the degree to which species allow other species to pass through or establish in their communities.
- The authors argue that environmental change brings species into contact and creates novel biotic interactions that can alter species range changes.
- The source notes that little is currently known about how novel interactions affect range changes.
Why it matters
Species range shifts under environmental change are a central question in ecology, and a framework linking biotic interactions to range dynamics could help readers interpret future distribution changes.
Who’s affected
- ecologists and biogeographers studying species range shifts
- conservation scientists assessing how novel species interactions affect distributions
- #species ranges
- #biotic interactions
- #biogeography
- #range dynamics
- #ecology
Environmental changes are predominant drivers of species range dynamics, bringing new species into contact and forming novel biotic interactions. Yet we know little about how novel interactions affect range changes. We propose that biotic permeability—the degree to which species…
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The role of biotic permeability in species’ range dynamics