HR: 1340h
AN: PP53A-1383    [Abstracts]
TI: The Need for More Precise, Accurate, and Complete Plant Distribution Data, and Its Importance in Reconstructing Past Climates
AU: * Arundel, S T
EM: sam.arundel\@nau.edu
AF: Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation Northern Arizona University, Box 15016, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 United States
AU: Cole, K L
EM: ken\_cole@usgs.gov
AF: USGS Southwest Biological Research Center Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 5614, Bldg. 24, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 United States
AB: Paleoecological climatic reconstructions and predictions of future vegetation change usually rely on changes in plant distributions relative to those of today. Unfortunately, modern distributions of most plant species are poorly known, or they are mapped with very low accuracy, or incompletely, sometimes omitting entire regions of occurrence. This research compares climatic inferences from some plant species based on different modern distribution datasets. The most complete dataset, compiled by Elbert Little prior to the advent of geospatial technology, is generalized and contains displacement errors of up to 15 km. These data were compared to more detailed distribution maps constructed through compilation of georeferenced data from multiple sources to map the same species with greater precision. Each distribution was processed through ClimLim, a program that determines which climatic variables statistically limit the spatial range of a distribution. Results indicate large differences in the paleoclimate implications of the two distributions, emphasizing the importance of improved datasets in reconstructing past climates and future species distributions. Hence, it should be a priority to acquire or produce highly accurate plant species distribution data.
DE: 9350 North America
DE: 3344 Paleoclimatology
DE: 3309 Climatology (1620)
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting