Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1954
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1954
18 Jul 2024
 | 18 Jul 2024
Status: this preprint is open for discussion.

A climate suitability index for ecological habitats applied to terrestrial arthropods in the Mediterranean Region

James M. Ciarlò, Monique Borg Inguanez, Erika Coppola, Aaron Micallef, and David Mifsud

Abstract. Climate change poses significant threats to global biodiversity, particularly impacting arthropods due to their sensitivity to shifts in temperature and precipitation, as well as other environmental conditions. These changes impact the suitability of their habitats, alter ecological interactions, and consequently affect the distribution and survival of species. Understanding how climate variability influences the ecological niches of arthropods is crucial for predicting future biodiversity patterns and implementing effective conservation strategies. This study introduces a simple index designed to assess the climate suitability of ecological habitats, with a specific focus on terrestrial Mediterranean arthropods. This approach leverages Regional Climate Model data to construct a climatology of a species' preferred habitat, based on historically observed locations. This index offers a straightforward and rapid means to assess the resilience and vulnerability of arthropod populations, aiming to shed light on how climate change could affect their fundamental niches. The analysis revealed that the method is most reliable for species with observations exceeding 1000 points, and climate datasets of high resolutions (although the latter had a smaller influence on the results). This study offers a proof-of-concept for the proposed index, demonstrating its potential utility in guiding conservation strategies and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on arthropod habitats.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
James M. Ciarlò, Monique Borg Inguanez, Erika Coppola, Aaron Micallef, and David Mifsud

Status: open (until 17 Nov 2024)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
James M. Ciarlò, Monique Borg Inguanez, Erika Coppola, Aaron Micallef, and David Mifsud

Model code and software

PALEOSIM James M. Ciarlò https://github.com/ciarloj/PALEOSIM

James M. Ciarlò, Monique Borg Inguanez, Erika Coppola, Aaron Micallef, and David Mifsud

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Short summary
Climate change threatens biodiversity, especially arthropods, which can significantly impact the stability of ecosystems. This study introduces an index to assess habitat suitability for Mediterranean arthropods using climate model data. The index can indicate how climate change could affect arthropod habitats, provided there is an abundant initial dataset of observations for the species of interest.