Influence of Climate Change on Obligatory Interactions in the Ecosystem: Predicting the Future

Abstract

Obligatory interactions in the ecosystem are sensitive to climate fluctuations. The study of how   mutualistic and parasitic associations which are obligatory for the partners, respond to past climate change especially in the Quaternary, would help deepen the understanding and provide clues to how ecosystems would respond to current and future climate changes. Data was obtained by searching through articles from different scientific databases spanning from 1990 to 2022.  The focus was on decoupling of partners, changes of the distributional limits of partner species and response to sudden climate change by the interacting partner species. From this review, data on response of obligate interactions to past climate change is limited and all constraints should be removed to allow for sufficient and appropriate data. Efficient calibration of demographic events from genetic data coupled with use of suitable biological models; including enhanced number of models from the tropics to help resolve the difficulty of timing biological events may be the way forward.

Keywords: obligate; interactions; Quaternary; climate change; ecosystem:

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-5-04

Publication date:July 31^st 2023