How do changes in land use affect the ability of plants and animals to adapt to climate change now?
* A: Land-use changes, including fragmentation, urban development, altered fire regimes, vegetation management, and introduction of invasive species, often impede the ability of species to respond to climate change adaptively. For instance, many land-use changes impose barriers to species’ migration to favorable new environments; small population sizes and isolation of populations as a result of land-use impede gene flow; invasive species disrupt opportunities for migration; and altered fire regimes destroy corridors for movement and habitat for breeding.
