Millien Virginie, Kathleen Lyons S, Olson Link, Smith Felisa A, Wilson Anthony B, Yom-Tov Yoram
Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2K6.
Ecol Lett. 2006 Jul;9(7):853-69. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00928.x.
Patterns of ecotypic variation constitute some of the few 'rules' known to modern biology. Here, we examine several well-known ecogeographical rules, especially those pertaining to body size in contemporary, historical and fossil taxa. We review the evidence showing that rules of geographical variation in response to variation in the local environment can also apply to morphological changes through time in response to climate change. These rules hold at various time scales, ranging from contemporary to geological time scales. Patterns of body size variation in response to climate change at the individual species level may also be detected at the community level. The patterns underlying ecotypic variation are complex and highly context-dependent, reducing the 'predictive-power' of ecogeographical rules. This is especially true when considering the increasing impact of human activities on the environment. Nonetheless, ecogeographical rules may help interpret the likely influences of anthropogenic climate change on ecosystems. Global climate change has already influenced the body size of several contemporary species, and will likely have an even greater impact on animal communities in the future. For this reason, we highlight and emphasise the importance of museum specimens and the continued need for documenting the earth's biological diversity.
生态型变异模式构成了现代生物学中为数不多的已知“规律”。在此，我们研究了几个著名的生态地理规律，尤其是那些与当代、历史和化石分类群的体型相关的规律。我们回顾了相关证据，这些证据表明，响应当地环境变化的地理变异规律也适用于随时间推移响应气候变化的形态变化。这些规律在从当代到地质时间尺度的各种时间尺度上都成立。在个体物种水平上响应气候变化的体型变异模式在群落水平上也可能被检测到。生态型变异背后的模式很复杂且高度依赖背景，这降低了生态地理规律的“预测能力”。在考虑人类活动对环境日益增加的影响时尤其如此。尽管如此，生态地理规律可能有助于解释人为气候变化对生态系统的可能影响。全球气候变化已经影响了几种当代物种的体型，未来可能会对动物群落产生更大的影响。因此，我们强调并着重指出博物馆标本的重要性以及持续记录地球生物多样性的必要性。
