Microclimate refugia site management strategies for biodiversity conservation

生物多样性预计将受到持续的气候变暖的严重影响，即使在最乐观的未来气候变化情景中，物种灭绝也可能发生。许多物种正在通过迁移范围、减少和灭绝来应对这些人类引起的环境变化。物种更有可能在有小气候变化和小气候避难所的部分范围内持续存在。我们最近由nerc资助的研究表明，人为栖息地的使用可能会影响物种的运动策略、行为和种群趋势。了解有助于在更广泛的景观中保留物种的小气候异质性特征，对于设计有效的管理行动，保护可能不适合宏观气候条件的当地种群至关重要。该博士项目包括分析物种范围内现有的运动数据（www.movebank.org），并使用Movetech遥测技术开发的最先进设备，为模型物种（欧洲和极端天气条件下常住人口的常见红隼Falco tinunculus）收集新的跟踪数据。一项由导师参与的合作项目（www.movetech-telemetry.com）。该项目将(1)评估不同物种对小气候的个别利用和生境的变化；(2)识别对极端天气的行为反应；(3)量化物种间小气候特异性的变化；(4)确定促进小气候避难所选址的管理措施。该项目旨在确定栖息地管理行动，积极促进适宜的小气候，帮助物种在更广泛的景观中保持更长时间，通过检查物种范围边缘的位置，可以设计跨物种当前范围的行动。

Biodiversity is predicted to be severely impacted by ongoing climate warming and extinctions are likely to occur even in the most optimistic future climate change scenarios. Many species are responding to these human induced changes in the environment by shifting ranges, declining and going extinct. Species are more likely to persist in parts of the range where there is microclimate variability and microclimate refugia sites. Our recent NERC-funded research showed that the use of anthropogenic habitats may influence movement strategies, behaviour and population trends of species. Understanding the characteristics of microclimate heterogeneity that help retain species in wider landscapes will be essential to design effective management actions that protect local populations where macroclimate conditions may become unsuitable. This PhD project involves analysing existing movement data (www.movebank.org) across species ranges and collecting new tracking data for a model species (common kestrel Falco tinnunculus with resident populations across Europe and in areas exposed to extreme weather conditions), with state-of-the-art devices developed by Movetech telemetry, a collaborative project involving the supervisors (www.movetech-telemetry.com).This project will (1) assess individual use of microclimate and habitat variability across species ranges; (2) identify behavioural responses to extreme weather; (3) quantify variability in microclimate specificity across species and (4) identify management actions that promote microclimate refugia sites.This projects aims to determine habitat management actions that actively promote suitable microclimates and help retain species in wider landscapes for longer, by examining locations at the edges of species range it will be possible to design actions across species' current ranges.