Range shifts of a relict Himalayan dragonfly in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region under climate change scenarios

Abstract

Although understanding of geographic range shifts of many species in response to global climate change is expanding steadily, little is known about the Himalayan fauna, which in particular is affected by relatively faster warming rates than other parts of the world. Anticipated increases in temperature and changes in hydrological regimes will have significant adverse impacts on the habitat suitability for many species. This threat will even be higher to endemic and already threatened species due to their restricted distribution and narrow climate tolerance ranges. We investigated the range shifts of a relict Himalayan dragonfly (Epiophlebia laidlawi), a species that is endemic to the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Currently, the species is only known from few localities in Bhutan, India and Nepal. For conservation of the species, it is necessary to foresee potential suitable habitat areas and range shifts due to global climate change. Here, we first estimated the current potential geographic distribution by...