Light and energetics at seasonal extremes limit poleward range shifts

Seasonality in light becomes increasingly extreme at high latitudes, both in terms of the diel light–dark cycle and the duration of light summers and dark winters. In contrast to temperature, this latitudinal gradient in light seasonality is not affected by climate change. A key question is therefor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature climate change 2021-06, Vol.11 (6), p.530-536
Main Authors: Ljungström, Gabriella, Langbehn, Tom J., Jørgensen, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/1144
631/158/2165
631/158/852
704/106
704/829
Climate Change
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Depletion
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice
Fish
Foraging
Interspecific relationships
Latitude
Latitudinal variations
Light
Physiology
Predation
Range extension
Seasonal variations
Seasonality
Survival
Temperature
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Summary:Seasonality in light becomes increasingly extreme at high latitudes, both in terms of the diel light–dark cycle and the duration of light summers and dark winters. In contrast to temperature, this latitudinal gradient in light seasonality is not affected by climate change. A key question is therefore whether light may act as a fixed constraint on warming-driven redistributions of organisms at high latitudes. One answer is provided by studying mechanistic models of visual foraging and temperature-driven physiology along latitudinal gradients to project where populations survive and acquire resources to reproduce, and where they demise. Here we contrast such models for two widespread planktivorous fish types. We identify two processes through which seasonality in light can act as a barrier to poleward range expansions at high latitudes: (1) longer dark winters lead to greater depletion of overwinter energy stores and (2) a longer duration of midnight sun entails higher foraging-related predation mortality. Using mechanistic models that incorporate visual foraging and temperature-driven physiology for two fish types, the authors reveal how latitudinal light gradients, which are not affected by climate change, can constrain warming-related shifts to high latitudes.
ISSN:1758-678X
1758-6798
DOI:10.1038/s41558-021-01045-2