Unifying the mechanisms that drive spatial patterns in biological traits

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The project aims to resolve the mechanisms that generate spatial variation in biological traits. This project expects to overcome several significant shortcomings of previous investigations by using mechanistic modelling, field-based ecophysiological studies, and macroecological analyses to develop a single, integrated approach to investigating geographic variation in size, colour, life history and reproduction. The expected outcomes are a comprehensive empirical test of a unified mechanism for spatial trait variation, using a diverse terrestrial vertebrate lineage as a model system. The results of this study should provide a powerful framework for predicting future patterns of biological trait variation under anthropogenic climate change.