The potential adaptability of alpine zooplankton communities to environmental warming

Climate change forces species to respond to changes in their environment. Mountain zooplankton are expectedly vulnerable to environmental change due to topographical dispersal barriers. I examined the dispersal potential of zooplankton in the Canadian Rocky Mountains using data from 379 sites. Dispersal limitation was evident among alpine communities; however, I could not discount the potential confounding effect of predation by introduced sportfish. Therefore, I conducted an experiment consisting of three dispersal levels (alpine only, alpine+montane, montane only) and two warming levels (13°C versus 20°C) to test if dispersal potential affected invasion success by montane species in warmed alpine lakes. Invasion success depended on the introduction of montane species and was enhanced by warming, which significantly suppressed the resident alpine copepod species (Hesperodiaptomus arcticus ). I conclude that zooplankton are most vulnerable to climate warming at high elevations because colonization of sensitive alpine communities by montane species appears to be dispersal-limited.