Data from: A framework for simultaneous tests of abiotic, biotic, and historical drivers of species distributions: empirical tests for North American wood warblers based on climate and pollen

Understanding how abiotic, biotic and historical factors shape species distributions remains a central question in ecology, but studies linking biotic factors to continental-scale patterns remain scarce. Here, we present a novel framework for simultaneously testing patterns expected when abiotic, biotic or historical factors drive species range limits. We use ecological niche models to produce empirical estimates of the "Biotic, Abiotic, and Movement" paradigm (BAM diagrams), which previously had only been used theoretically. Based on climatic and pollen data, as well as explicit consideration of dispersal limitations, we implement the framework for a group of North American birds (Oreothlypis warblers) with clear habitat associations. Because the pollen-based predictor variables characterize vegetation, they represent biotic factors needed by each bird species. Although continental-scale patterns of distribution traditionally are attributed to abiotic factors, only one species matched the hypothesis of solely abiotic drivers. In contrast, pollen-based models indicate biotic drivers for two species, correctly predicting their absence in climatically suitable areas. These results highlight the feasibility of considering and quantifying potential effects of biotic interactions on species ranges, especial when interactions can be decoupled from abiotic factors. Furthermore, the availability of pollen data now and in the Holocene highlights the potential of these data to be used to predict range shifts of other organisms tightly dependent on particular vegetation types.非生物、生物与历史因子如何塑造物种分布格局，始终是生态学领域的核心研究议题之一，但将生物因子与大陆尺度分布格局相关联的研究仍较为匮乏。本研究提出了一种全新的分析框架，可同时检验由非生物、生物或历史因子驱动物种分布边界时的预期格局。我们借助生态位模型（ecological niche models）对“生物、非生物与扩散”范式（Biotic, Abiotic, and Movement paradigm，即BAM图）进行实证估算——此前该范式仅被用于理论推演。本研究基于气候与孢粉数据，并明确考虑扩散限制，以一组具有明确生境关联的北美鸟类——林莺属（Oreothlypis warblers）——为研究对象，应用该分析框架。由于基于孢粉的预测变量表征了植被特征，因此它们对应于各鸟类物种所需的生物因子。尽管传统上大陆尺度的分布格局被归因于非生物因子的调控，但仅有一个物种符合仅由非生物因子驱动的假说。与之形成对比的是，基于孢粉的模型显示有两个物种的分布受生物因子驱动，且能准确预测它们在气候适宜区域的缺失情况。本研究结果证实，考虑并量化生物交互作用对物种分布范围的潜在影响具有可行性，尤其是当这类交互作用可与非生物因子解耦时。此外，现代及全新世时期的孢粉数据可得性，凸显了这类数据在预测其他紧密依赖特定植被类型的生物的分布范围变化方面的应用潜力。