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Giacometti D, Palaoro AV, Leal LC, de Barros FC. How seasonality influences the thermal biology of lizards with different thermoregulatory strategies: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:409-429. [PMID: 37872698 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Ectotherms that maintain thermal balance in the face of varying climates should be able to colonise a wide range of habitats. In lizards, thermoregulation usually appears as a variety of behaviours that buffer external influences over physiology. Basking species rely on solar radiation to raise body temperatures and usually show high thermoregulatory precision. By contrast, species that do not bask are often constrained by climatic conditions in their habitats, thus having lower thermoregulatory precision. While much focus has been given to the effects of mean habitat temperatures, relatively less is known about how seasonality affects the thermal biology of lizards on a macroecological scale. Considering the current climate crisis, assessing how lizards cope with temporal variations in environmental temperature is essential to understand better how these organisms will fare under climate change. Activity body temperatures (Tb ) represent the internal temperature of an animal measured in nature during its active period (i.e. realised thermal niche), and preferred body temperatures (Tpref ) are those selected by an animal in a laboratory thermal gradient that lacks thermoregulatory costs (i.e. fundamental thermal niche). Both traits form the bulk of thermal ecology research and are often studied in the context of seasonality. In this study, we used a meta-analysis to test how environmental temperature seasonality influences the seasonal variation in the Tb and Tpref of lizards that differ in thermoregulatory strategy (basking versus non-basking). Based on 333 effect sizes from 137 species, we found that Tb varied over a greater magnitude than Tpref across seasons. Variations in Tb were not influenced by environmental temperature seasonality; however, body size and thermoregulatory strategy mediated Tb responses. Specifically, larger species were subjected to greater seasonal variations in Tb , and basking species endured greater seasonal variations in Tb compared to non-basking species. On the other hand, the seasonal variation in Tpref increased with environmental temperature seasonality regardless of body size. Thermoregulatory strategy also influenced Tpref , suggesting that behaviour has an important role in mediating Tpref responses to seasonal variations in the thermal landscape. After controlling for phylogenetic effects, we showed that Tb and Tpref varied significantly across lizard families. Taken together, our results support the notion that the relationship between thermal biology responses and climatic parameters can be taxon and trait dependent. Our results also showcase the importance of considering ecological and behavioural aspects in macroecological studies. We further highlight current systematic, geographical, and knowledge gaps in thermal ecology research. Our work should benefit those who aim to understand more fully how seasonality shapes thermal biology in lizards, ultimately contributing to the goal of elucidating the evolution of temperature-sensitive traits in ectotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Giacometti
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Professor Artur Riedel 275, Diadema, São Paulo, 09972-270, Brasil
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, L2S3A1, Canada
| | - Alexandre V Palaoro
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Professor Artur Riedel 275, Diadema, São Paulo, 09972-270, Brasil
- Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, 490 Sirrine Hall, Clemson University, 515 Calhoun Dr, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão Trav. 14, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brasil
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Avenida Coronel Francisco H. dos Santos 100, Curitiba, Paraná, 82590-300, Brasil
| | - Laura C Leal
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Professor Artur Riedel 275, Diadema, São Paulo, 09972-270, Brasil
| | - Fábio C de Barros
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Professor Artur Riedel 275, Diadema, São Paulo, 09972-270, Brasil
- Departamento de Biociências, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Avenida Juca Stockler 1130, Passos, Minas Gerais, 37900-106, Brasil
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Nowack J, Stawski C, Geiser F, Levesque DL. Rare and Opportunistic Use of Torpor in Mammals-An Echo from the Past? Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1049-1059. [PMID: 37328423 PMCID: PMC10714912 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Torpor was traditionally seen as a winter survival mechanism employed by animals living in cold and highly seasonal habitats. Although we now know that torpor is also used by tropical and subtropical species, and in response to a variety of triggers, torpor is still largely viewed as a highly controlled, seasonal mechanism shown by Northern hemisphere species. To scrutinize this view, we report data from a macroanalysis in which we characterized the type and seasonality of torpor use from mammal species currently known to use torpor. Our findings suggest that predictable, seasonal torpor patterns reported for Northern temperate and polar species are highly derived forms of torpor expression, whereas the more opportunistic and variable forms of torpor that we see in tropical and subtropical species are likely closer to the patterns expressed by ancestral mammals. Our data emphasize that the torpor patterns observed in the tropics and subtropics should be considered the norm and not the exception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Nowack
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF Liverpool, UK
| | - Clare Stawski
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Fritz Geiser
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
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Seebacher F, Narayan E, Rummer JL, Tomlinson S, Cooke SJ. How can physiology best contribute to wildlife conservation in a warming world? CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad038. [PMID: 37287992 PMCID: PMC10243909 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Global warming is now predicted to exceed 1.5°C by 2033 and 2°C by the end of the 21st century. This level of warming and the associated environmental variability are already increasing pressure on natural and human systems. Here we emphasize the role of physiology in the light of the latest assessment of climate warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We describe how physiology can contribute to contemporary conservation programmes. We focus on thermal responses of animals, but we acknowledge that the impacts of climate change are much broader phylogenetically and environmentally. A physiological contribution would encompass environmental monitoring, coupled with measuring individual sensitivities to temperature change and upscaling these to ecosystem level. The latest version of the widely accepted Conservation Standards designed by the Conservation Measures Partnership includes several explicit climate change considerations. We argue that physiology has a unique role to play in addressing these considerations. Moreover, physiology can be incorporated by institutions and organizations that range from international bodies to national governments and to local communities, and in doing so, it brings a mechanistic approach to conservation and the management of biological resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Edward Narayan
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD4072, Australia
| | - Jodie L Rummer
- College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Sean Tomlinson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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da Silva CRB, Beaman JE, Youngblood JP, Kellermann V, Diamond SE. Vulnerability to climate change increases with trophic level in terrestrial organisms. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 865:161049. [PMID: 36549538 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The resilience of ecosystem function under global climate change is governed by individual species vulnerabilities and the functional groups they contribute to (e.g. decomposition, primary production, pollination, primary, secondary and tertiary consumption). Yet it remains unclear whether species that contribute to different functional groups, which underpin ecosystem function, differ in their vulnerability to climate change. We used existing upper thermal limit data across a range of terrestrial species (N = 1701) to calculate species warming margins (degrees distance between a species upper thermal limit and the maximum environmental temperature they inhabit), as a metric of climate change vulnerability. We examined whether species that comprise different functional groups exhibit differential vulnerability to climate change, and if vulnerability trends change across geographic space while considering evolutionary history. Primary producers had the broadest warming margins across the globe (μ = 18.72 °C) and tertiary consumers had the narrowest warming margins (μ = 9.64 °C), where vulnerability tended to increase with trophic level. Warming margins had a nonlinear relationship (second-degree polynomial) with absolute latitude, where warming margins were narrowest at about 33°, and were broader at lower and higher absolute latitudes. Evolutionary history explained significant variation in species warming margins, as did the methodology used to estimate species upper thermal limits. We investigated if variation in body mass across the trophic levels could explain why higher trophic level organisms had narrower warming margins than lower trophic level organisms, however, we did not find support for this hypothesis. This study provides a critical first step in linking individual species vulnerabilities with whole ecosystem responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen R B da Silva
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Julian E Beaman
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jacob P Youngblood
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Department of Biology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, USA
| | | | - Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Cooke SJ, Madliger CL, Lennox RJ, Olden JD, Eliason EJ, Cramp RL, Fuller A, Franklin CE, Seebacher F. Biological mechanisms matter in contemporary wildlife conservation. iScience 2023; 26:106192. [PMID: 36895647 PMCID: PMC9988666 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Given limited resources for wildlife conservation paired with an urgency to halt declines and rebuild populations, it is imperative that management actions are tactical and effective. Mechanisms are about how a system works and can inform threat identification and mitigation such that conservation actions that work can be identified. Here, we call for a more mechanistic approach to wildlife conservation and management where behavioral and physiological tools and knowledge are used to characterize drivers of decline, identify environmental thresholds, reveal strategies that would restore populations, and prioritize conservation actions. With a growing toolbox for doing mechanistic conservation research as well as a suite of decision-support tools (e.g., mechanistic models), the time is now to fully embrace the concept that mechanisms matter in conservation ensuring that management actions are tactical and focus on actions that have the potential to directly benefit and restore wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Corresponding author
| | - Christine L. Madliger
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, 1520 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Robert J. Lennox
- Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Julian D. Olden
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5020, USA
| | - Erika J. Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Andrea Fuller
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa
| | - Craig E. Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Vilas D, Fletcher RJ, Siders ZA, Chagaris D. Understanding the temporal dynamics of estimated environmental niche hypervolumes for marine fishes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9604. [PMCID: PMC9748244 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Vilas
- Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
- Nature Coast Biological Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Cedar Key Florida USA
| | - Robert J. Fletcher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Zachary A. Siders
- Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - David Chagaris
- Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
- Nature Coast Biological Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Cedar Key Florida USA
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Moles AT, Xirocostas ZA. Statistical power from the people. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1802-1803. [PMID: 36266457 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01902-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Angela T Moles
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Zoe A Xirocostas
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Carilo Filho LM, Gomes L, Katzenberger M, Solé M, Orrico VGD. There and back again: A meta-analytical approach on the influence of acclimation and altitude in the upper thermal tolerance of amphibians and reptiles. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1017255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Realistic predictions about the impacts of climate change onbiodiversity requires gathering ecophysiological data and the critical thermal maxima (CTMax) is the most frequently used index to assess the thermal vulnerability of species. In the present study, we performed a systematic review to understand how acclimation and altitude affect CTMax estimates for amphibian and non-avian reptile species. We retrieved CTMax data for anurans, salamanders, lizards, snakes, and turtles/terrapins. Data allowed to perform a multilevel random effects meta-analysis to answer how acclimation temperature affect CTMax of Anura, Caudata, and Squamata and also meta-regressions to assess the influence of altitude on CTMax of frogs and lizards. Acclimation temperature influenced CTMax estimates of tadpoles, adult anurans, salamanders, and lizards, but not of froglets. In general, the increase in acclimation temperature led to higher CTMax values. Altitudinal bioclimatic gradient had an inverse effect for estimating the CTMax of lizards and anuran amphibians. For lizards, CTMax was positively influenced by the mean temperature of the wettest quarter. For anurans, the relationship is inverse; we recover a trend of decreasing CTMax when max temperature of warmest month and precipitation seasonality increase. There is an urgent need for studies to investigate the thermal tolerance of subsampled groups or even for which we do not have any information such as Gymnophiona, Serpentes, Amphisbaena, and Testudines. Broader phylogenetic coverage is mandatory for more accurate analyses of macroecological and evolutionary patterns for thermal tolerance indices as CTMax.
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Physiology can predict animal activity, exploration, and dispersal. Commun Biol 2022; 5:109. [PMID: 35115649 PMCID: PMC8814174 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03055-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiology can underlie movement, including short-term activity, exploration of unfamiliar environments, and larger scale dispersal, and thereby influence species distributions in an environmentally sensitive manner. We conducted meta-analyses of the literature to establish, firstly, whether physiological traits underlie activity, exploration, and dispersal by individuals (88 studies), and secondly whether physiological characteristics differed between range core and edges of distributions (43 studies). We show that locomotor performance and metabolism influenced individual movement with varying levels of confidence. Range edges differed from cores in traits that may be associated with dispersal success, including metabolism, locomotor performance, corticosterone levels, and immunity, and differences increased with increasing time since separation. Physiological effects were particularly pronounced in birds and amphibians, but taxon-specific differences may reflect biased sampling in the literature, which also focussed primarily on North America, Europe, and Australia. Hence, physiology can influence movement, but undersampling and bias currently limits general conclusions. Physiological constraints can influence multiple aspects of an animal’s fitness for life and adaptation. Here, a meta-analytical approach demonstrates how physiology can influence animal dispersal ecology via limitations on the ability to move.
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Duffy GA, Kuyucu AC, Hoskins JL, Hay EM, Chown SL. Adequate sample sizes for improved accuracy of thermal trait estimates. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grant A. Duffy
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
| | - Arda C. Kuyucu
- Department of Biology Hacettepe University Ankara Turkey
| | | | - Eleanor M. Hay
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
| | - Steven L. Chown
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Vic. Australia
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