Under moderate to high emissions pathways (RCP 6.0 and 8.5), what is the general prediction for the climate niche of *I. pacificus* by 2050?

Answer

An overall net loss in climate niche suitability, indicating a predicted shrinking.

Future climate niche modeling presents a challenging outlook for *Ixodes pacificus* when projecting toward the year 2050, especially under moderate to high emissions scenarios such as RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5. These models generally forecast an overall net loss in the climate niche suitable for the tick. This predicted shrinking is most likely to occur along the warmer and drier edges of the tick’s current geographic tolerance, particularly impacting areas like Southern California and inland desert regions that may become too arid or experience temperatures outside the tick's optimal range. This contrasts sharply with the range expansion noted for other tick species.

Under moderate to high emissions pathways (RCP 6.0 and 8.5), what is the general prediction for the climate niche of *I. pacificus* by 2050?

Related Questions

Which *Ixodes* species is *I. pacificus* molecularly suggested to share a closer evolutionary relationship with?How does the range stability of *I. pacificus* over the last half-century contrast with *I. scapularis*?What primary factor likely maintained widespread *I. pacificus* populations across the West over the last century?What genetic characteristic is noted for the isolated *I. pacificus* population found in Utah?What historical event do researchers propose might explain the fragmentation of the isolated Utah *I. pacificus* population?Which reptile is identified as an important host for immature *I. pacificus* stages specifically in California?What evolutionary advantage does the small size of *I. pacificus* nymphs provide concerning Lyme disease transmission?Under moderate to high emissions pathways (RCP 6.0 and 8.5), what is the general prediction for the climate niche of *I. pacificus* by 2050?Which environmental conditions are considered optimal for the survival of *I. pacificus* in its core areas?What historical pressure seemed less severe or was managed differently in the West compared to the Eastern US, affecting *I. pacificus* distribution?
biologyevolutiontickvectorarthropod