The evolution of climatic niche specialization has important implications for many topics in ecology, evolution and conservation. The climatic niche reflects the set of temperature and precipitation conditions where a species can occur. Thus, specialization to a limited set of climatic conditions can be important for understanding patterns of biogeography, species richness, community structure,...

Variability is an inherent characteristic of neritic fisheries. This is usually associated with both heavy fishing and changes in environmental conditions. Consideration needs to be given to the biological, physical and human components of the management system. This includes controlling the type, size and amount of fish harvested; trying to respond in a timely manner to events in the fishery i...

Grasses are ancestrally tropical understory species whose current dominance in warm open habitats is linked to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. C4 grasses maintain high rates of photosynthesis in warm and water stressed environments, and the syndrome is considered to induce niche shifts into these habitats while adaptation to cold ones may be compromised. Global biogeographic analyses of C4 ...

Understanding how the environment influences patterns of diversity is vital for effective conservation management, especially in a changing global climate. While assemblage structure and species richness patterns are often correlated with current environmental factors, historical influences may also be considerable, especially for taxa with poor dispersal abilities. Mountain-top regions through...

Whole-genome duplication (polyploidy) occurs frequently and repeatedly within species, often forming new lineages that contribute to biodiversity, particularly in plants. Establishment and persistence of new polyploids may be thwarted by competition with surrounding diploids; however, climatic niche shifts, where polyploids occupy different niches than diploid progenitors, may help polyploids o...

This study examines the spatial evolution of drought severity within the contiguous United States during the first six months of average Great Plains-centered drought events. It identifies Great Plains-centered drought events from 1895-1989 based on the drought history of the North Central, South Dakota and Low Rolling Plains, Texas climatic divisions. Time series of warmand cold-season average...