The roles of abiotic and biotic factors in driving range shifts: An invasive Pomacea snail facilitates Rostrhamus sociabilis (Snail Kite) northward range expansion.

This article examines the recent northward range expansion of the endangered Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) population in Florida, focusing on the interplay of biotic and abiotic factors within the biotic-abiotic-mobility (BAM) framework. The study finds that this expansion is not explained by climate change or shifts in the native prey (Pomacea paludosa) distribution but is closely linked to the invasion of a larger, more abundant non-native snail species (Pomacea maculata). Concurrently, Snail Kites have exhibited significant morphological changes, notably increased bill length, which enhances their ability to exploit the invasive snails and facilitates their range expansion into previously unsuitable northern wetlands. This case challenges the Eltonian Noise Hypothesis by demonstrating that biotic interactions, coupled with phenotypic plasticity, can drive geographic-scale distributional changes in a specialized predator.