1
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Arismendi I, Gregory SV, Bateman DS, Penaluna BE. Shrinking sizes of trout and salamanders are unexplained by climate warming alone. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13614. [PMID: 38871823 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64145-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Decreases in body sizes of animals related to recent climate warming can affect population persistence and stability. However, direct observations of average sizes over time and their interrelationships with underlying density-dependent and density-independent processes remain poorly understood owing to the lack of appropriate long-term datasets. We measured body size of two species common to headwater streams in coastal and Cascades ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest of North America over multiple decades, comparing old-growth and managed forests. We found consistent decreases in median length of Coastal Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii, but a coexisting species, the Coastal Giant Salamander Dicamptodon tenebrosus, appears to be more resilient to size changes over time. Based on observed trends, adult trout have decreased in length by 6-13% over the last 30 years. Length decreased more in larger compared to smaller animals, suggesting that these effects reflect changes in growth trajectories. Results from a model-selection approach that included hydroclimatic and biological information as covariates in one of our study ecoregions demonstrated that stream temperature alone did not explain observed length reductions. Rather, a combination of density-dependent (animal abundances) and local density-independent factors (temperature, habitat, and streamflow) explained observed patterns of size. Continued decreases in size could lead to trophic cascades, biodiversity loss, or in extreme cases, species extirpation. However, the intricate links between density-independent and density-dependent factors in controlling population-level processes in streams need further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Arismendi
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Nash Hall 104, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.
| | - Stanley V Gregory
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Nash Hall 104, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Douglas S Bateman
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, 210A Snell Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Brooke E Penaluna
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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2
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Siefferman L, Bentz AB, Rosvall KA. Decoupling pioneering traits from latitudinal patterns in a north American bird experiencing a southward range shift. J Anim Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36815243 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Ecogeographic rules describe spatial patterns in biological trait variation and shed light on the drivers of such variation. In animals, a consensus is emerging that 'pioneering' traits may facilitate range shifts via a set of bold, aggressive and stress-resilient traits. Many of these same traits are associated with more northern latitudes, and most range shifts in the northern hemisphere indicate northward movement. As a consequence, it is unclear whether pioneering traits are simply corollaries of existing latitudinal variation, or whether they override other well-trodden latitudinal patterning as a unique ecogeographic rule of phenotypic variation. The tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor is a songbird undergoing a southward range shift in the eastern United States, in direct opposition of the poleward movement seen in most other native species' range shifts. Because this organic range shift countervails the typical direction of movement, this case study provides for unique ecological insights on organisms and their ability to thrive in our changing world. We sampled female birds across seven populations, quantifying behavioural, physiological and morphological traits. We also used GIS and field data to quantify a core set of ecological factors with strong ties to these traits as well as female performance. Females at more southern expansion sites displayed higher maternal aggression, higher baseline corticosterone and more pronounced elevation of corticosterone following a standardized stressor, contrary to otherwise largely conserved latitudinal patterning in these traits. Microhabitat variation explained some quantitative phenotypic variation, but the expansion and historic ranges did not differ in openness, distance to water or breeding density. This countervailing range shift therefore suggests that pioneering traits are not simply corollaries of existing latitudinal variation, but rather, they may override other well-trodden latitudinal patterning as a unique ecogeographic rule of phenotypic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Siefferman
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexandra B Bentz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
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3
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Sheridan JA, Mendenhall CD, Yambun P. Frog body size responses to precipitation shift from resource-driven to desiccation-resistant as temperatures warm. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9589. [PMID: 36523519 PMCID: PMC9745258 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change threatens biodiversity in a range of ways, including changing animal body sizes. Despite numerous examples of size declines related to increasing temperatures, patterns of size change are not universal, suggesting that one or more primary mechanisms impacting size change are unknown. Precipitation is likely to influence the size different from and in conjunction with changes in temperature, yet tests of the interaction between these variables are rare. In this study, we show that a crossover interaction between temperature and precipitation impacts the body size of frogs as the climate warms. Using more than 3000 museum frog specimens from Borneo and climate records spanning more than 100 years, we found that frogs are larger in wet conditions than in dry conditions at cool temperatures, suggesting that resource availability determines body size at colder temperature. Conversely, frogs are larger in dry conditions than in wet conditions at warm temperatures, resulting in a crossover to desiccation resistance as the main determinant of body size as climates warm. Our results demonstrate that global warming can alter the impact of precipitation on life-history traits. We suggest that increased attention be paid to such interactive effects of climate variables, to identify complex mechanisms driving climate-induced size changes.
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4
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Martin AK, Sheridan JA. Body size responses to the combined effects of climate and land use changes within an urban framework. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5385-5398. [PMID: 35758068 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in body size can have profound impacts on an organism's life history and ecology with long-lasting effects that span multiple biological scales. Animal body size is influenced by environmental drivers, including climate change and land use change, the two largest current threats to biodiversity. Climate warming has led to smaller body sizes of many species due to impacts on growth (i.e., Bergmann's rule and temperature-size rule). Conversely, urbanization, which serves as a model for investigating the effects of land use changes, has largely been demonstrated to cause size increases, but few studies have examined the combined influences of climate and land use changes on organism size. We present here the background theory on how each of these factors is expected to influence body size, summarize existing evidence of how size has recently been impacted by climate and land use changes, and make several recommendations to guide future research uniting these areas of focus. Given the rapid pace of climate change and urbanization, understanding the combined effects of climate and land use changes on body size is imperative for biodiversity preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K Martin
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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5
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Pattinson NB, van de Ven TMFN, Finnie MJ, Nupen LJ, McKechnie AE, Cunningham SJ. Collapse of Breeding Success in Desert-Dwelling Hornbills Evident Within a Single Decade. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.842264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid anthropogenic climate change potentially severely reduces avian breeding success. While the consequences of high temperatures and drought are reasonably well-studied within single breeding seasons, their impacts over decadal time scales are less clear. We assessed the effects of air temperature (Tair) and drought on the breeding output of southern yellow-billed hornbills (Tockus leucomelas; hornbills) in the Kalahari Desert over a decade (2008–2019). We aimed to document trends in breeding performance in an arid-zone bird during a time of rapid global warming and identify potential drivers of variation in breeding performance. The breeding output of our study population collapsed during the monitoring period. Comparing the first three seasons (2008–2011) of monitoring to the last three seasons (2016–2019), the mean percentage of nest boxes that were occupied declined from 52% to 12%, nest success from 58% to 17%, and mean fledglings produced per breeding attempt from 1.1 to 0.4. Breeding output was negatively correlated with increasing days on which Tmax (mean maximum daily Tair) exceeded the threshold Tair at which male hornbills show a 50% likelihood of engaging in heat dissipation behavior [i.e., panting (Tthresh; Tair = 34.5°C)] and the occurrence of drought within the breeding season, as well as later dates for entry into the nest cavity (i.e., nest initiation) and fewer days post-hatch, spent incarcerated in the nest by the female parent. The apparent effects of high Tair were present even in non-drought years; of the 115 breeding attempts that were recorded, all 18 attempts that had ≥ 72% days during the attempt on which Tmax > Tthresh failed (equivalent to Tmax during the attempt ≥ 35.7°C). This suggests that global warming was likely the primary driver of the recent, rapid breeding success collapse. Based on current warming trends, the Tmax threshold of 35.7°C, above which no successful breeding attempts were recorded, will be exceeded during the entire hornbill breeding season by approximately 2027 at our study site. Therefore, our findings support the prediction that climate change may drive rapid declines and cause local extinctions despite the absence of direct lethal effects of extreme heat events.
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6
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Li K, Sommer S, Yang Z, Guo Y, Yue Y, Ozgul A, Wang D. Distinct body-size responses to warming climate in three rodent species. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220015. [PMID: 35414239 PMCID: PMC9006008 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, body-size responses to warming climates are diverse, and the mechanisms underlying these different responses have been little investigated. Using temporal and spatial datasets of three rodent species distributed across different climatic zones in China, we investigated temporal and spatial trends of body size (length and mass), identified the critical drivers of these trends, and inferred the potential causes underlying the distinct body-size responses to the critical drivers. We found that body mass of all species remained stable over time and across space. Body length, however, increased in one species over time and in two species across space. Generally, body-length variation was predicted best by minimum ambient temperature. Moreover, in two species, body length changed linearly with temperature differences between ancestral and colonization areas. These distinct temperature-length patterns may jointly be caused by species-specific temperature sensitivities and experienced magnitudes of warming. We hypothesize that species or populations distributed across distinct temperature gradients evolved different intrinsic temperature sensitivities, which affect how their body sizes respond to warming climates. Our results suggest that size trends associated with climate change should be explored at higher temporal and spatial resolutions, and include clades of species with similar distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Li
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.,College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Stefan Sommer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zaixue Yang
- Yuqing Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Yuqing County, Guizhou 564400, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongwang Guo
- National Agro-tech Extension and Service Center, 20 Maizidian Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100026, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaxian Yue
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Deng Wang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
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7
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Zimova M, Willard DE, Winger BM, Weeks BC. Widespread shifts in bird migration phenology are decoupled from parallel shifts in morphology. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2348-2361. [PMID: 34151433 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Advancements in phenology and changes in morphology, including body size reductions, are among the most commonly described responses to globally warming temperatures. Although these dynamics are routinely explored independently, the relationships among them and how their interactions facilitate or constrain adaptation to climate change are poorly understood. In migratory species, advancing phenology may impose selection on morphological traits to increase migration speed. Advancing spring phenology might also expose species to cooler temperatures during the breeding season, potentially mitigating the effect of a warming global environment on body size. We use a dataset of birds that died after colliding with buildings in Chicago, IL to test whether changes in migration phenology are related to documented declines in body size and increases in wing length in 52 North American migratory bird species between 1978 and 2016. For each species, we estimate temporal trends in morphology and changes in the timing of migration. We then test for associations between species-specific rates of phenological and morphological changes while assessing the potential effects of migratory distance and breeding latitude. We show that spring migration through Chicago has advanced while the timing of fall migration has broadened as a result of early fall migrants advancing their migrations and late migrants delaying their migrations. Within species, we found that longer wing length was linked to earlier spring migration within years. However, we found no evidence that rates of phenological change across years, or migratory distance and breeding latitude, are predictive of rates of concurrent changes in morphological traits. These findings suggest that biotic responses to climate change are highly multidimensional and the extent to which those responses interact and influence adaptation to climate change requires careful examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marketa Zimova
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David E Willard
- Gantz Family Collection Center, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Benjamin M Winger
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Brian C Weeks
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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8
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Subasinghe K, Symonds MRE, Vidal-García M, Bonnet T, Prober SM, Williams KJ, Gardner JL. Repeatability and Validity of Phenotypic Trait Measurements in Birds. Evol Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-020-09527-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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9
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Youtz J, Miller KD, Bowers EK, Rogers SL, Bulluck LP, Johnson M, Peer BD, Percy KL, Johnson EI, Ames EM, Tonra CM, Boves TJ. Bergmann's rule is followed at multiple stages of postembryonic development in a long-distance migratory songbird. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10672-10686. [PMID: 33072288 PMCID: PMC7548171 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bergmann’s rule is a well‐established, ecogeographical principle that states that body size varies positively with latitude, reflecting the thermoregulatory benefits of larger bodies as temperatures decline. However, this principle does not seem to easily apply to migratory species that are able to avoid the extreme temperatures during winter at higher latitudes. Further, little is known about the ontogeny of this relationship across life stages or how it is influenced by ongoing global climate change. To address these knowledge gaps, we assessed the contemporary relationship between latitude and body size in a long‐distance migratory species, the prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) across life stages (egg to adult) on their breeding grounds. We also measured historic eggs (1865‐1961) to assess if the relationship between latitude and size during this life stage has changed over time. In accordance with Bergmann’s rule, we found a positive relationship between latitude and body mass during all post‐embryonic life stages, from early nestling stage through adulthood. We observed this same predicted pattern with historic eggs, but contemporary eggs exhibited the reverse (negative) relationship. We suggest that these results indicate a genetic component to this pattern and speculate that selection for larger body size in altricial nestlings as latitude increases may possibly drive the pattern in migratory species as even rare extreme cold weather events may cause mortality during early life stages. Furthermore, the opposite relationships observed in eggs, dependent on time period, may be related to the rapidly warming environments of higher latitudes that is associated with climate change. Although it is unclear what mechanism(s) would allow for this recent reversal in eggs (but still allow for its maintenance in later life stages). This evidence of a reversal suggests that anthropogenic climate change may be in the process of altering one of the longest‐standing principles in ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Youtz
- Department of Biological Sciences Arkansas State University State University Arkansas USA
| | - Kelly D Miller
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Biodiversity Research University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee USA
| | - Emerson K Bowers
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Biodiversity Research University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee USA
| | - Samantha L Rogers
- Center for Environmental Studies Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia USA.,Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia USA
| | - Lesley P Bulluck
- Center for Environmental Studies Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia USA
| | - Matthew Johnson
- Audubon South Carolina National Audubon Society Harleyville South Carolina USA
| | - Brian D Peer
- Department of Biological Sciences Western Illinois University Moline Illinois USA
| | - Katie L Percy
- Audubon Louisiana National Audubon Society Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Erik I Johnson
- Audubon Louisiana National Audubon Society Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Elizabeth M Ames
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Christopher M Tonra
- School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Than J Boves
- Department of Biological Sciences Arkansas State University State University Arkansas USA
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10
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LaBarbera K, Marsh KJ, Hayes KRR, Hammond TT. Context-dependent effects of relative temperature extremes on bill morphology in a songbird. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192203. [PMID: 32431895 PMCID: PMC7211890 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Species increasingly face environmental extremes. Morphological responses to changes in average environmental conditions are well documented, but responses to environmental extremes remain poorly understood. We used museum specimens to investigate relationships between a thermoregulatory morphological trait, bird bill surface area (SA) and a measure of short-term relative temperature extremity (RTE), which quantifies the degree that temperature maxima or minima diverge from the 5-year norm. Using a widespread, generalist species, Junco hyemalis, we found that SA exhibited different patterns of association with RTE depending on the overall temperature regime and on precipitation. While thermoregulatory function predicts larger SA at higher RTE, we found this only when the RTE existed in an environmental context that opposed it: atypically cold minimum temperature in a warm climate, or atypically warm maximum temperature in a cool climate. When environmental context amplified the RTE, we found a negative relationship between SA and RTE. We also found that the strength of associations between SA and RTE increased with precipitation. Our results suggest that trait responses to environmental variation may qualitatively differ depending on the overall environmental context, and that environmental change that extremifies already-extreme environments may produce responses that cannot be predicted from observations in less-extreme contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie LaBarbera
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - Kyle J. Marsh
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Drive, Ste #11, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
| | - Kia R. R. Hayes
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - Talisin T. Hammond
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
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11
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Gardner JL, Amano T, Peters A, Sutherland WJ, Mackey B, Joseph L, Stein J, Ikin K, Little R, Smith J, Symonds MRE. Australian songbird body size tracks climate variation: 82 species over 50 years. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192258. [PMID: 31771472 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The observed variation in the body size responses of endotherms to climate change may be explained by two hypotheses: the size increases with climate variability (the starvation resistance hypothesis) and the size shrinks as mean temperatures rise (the heat exchange hypothesis). Across 82 Australian passerine species over 50 years, shrinking was associated with annual mean temperature rise exceeding 0.012°C driven by rising winter temperatures for arid and temperate zone species. We propose the warming winters hypothesis to explain this response. However, where average summer temperatures exceeded 34°C, species experiencing annual rise over 0.0116°C tended towards increasing size. Results suggest a broad-scale physiological response to changing climate, with size trends probably reflecting the relative strength of selection pressures across a climatic regime. Critically, a given amount of temperature change will have varying effects on phenotype depending on the season in which it occurs, masking the generality of size patterns associated with temperature change. Rather than phenotypic plasticity, and assuming body size is heritable, results suggest selective loss or gain of particular phenotypes could generate evolutionary change but may be difficult to detect with current warming rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet L Gardner
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - William J Sutherland
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Brendan Mackey
- Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland 4222, Australia
| | - Leo Joseph
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australia, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - John Stein
- The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Karen Ikin
- The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Roellen Little
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Jesse Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Matthew R E Symonds
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
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12
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Delgado MDM, Bettega C, Martens J, Päckert M. Ecotypic changes of alpine birds to climate change. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16082. [PMID: 31695069 PMCID: PMC6834662 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52483-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In endotherm animals, several traits are related to climate. For example, Bergmann’s rule predicts a decrease in body size within species and across closely related species with increasing temperature, whereas Gloger’s rule states that birds and mammals should be darker in humid and warm environments compared to colder and drier areas. However, it is still not clear whether ecotypic responses to variation in the local environment can also apply to morphological and colouration changes through time in response to climate change. We present a 100-year-long time series on morphological and melanin-based colours of snowfinch (325 Montifringilla, 92 Pyrgilauda and 30 Onychostruthus) museum specimens. Here we show that the tarsus length of the species has decreased and the saturation of the melanin-based colour has increased, which was correlated with the increase of temperature and precipitations. As ecotypic variations are tightly linked to individual behavioural and physiological responses to environmental variations, differently sized and coloured individuals are expected to be differently penalized by global changes. This study opens the pertinent question about whether ecotypic responses can enhance population persistence in the context of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Del Mar Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University - Campus Mieres, 33600, Mieres, Spain.
| | - Chiara Bettega
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University - Campus Mieres, 33600, Mieres, Spain
| | - Jochen Martens
- Institut für Organismische und Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Päckert
- Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Museum für Tierkunde, Koenigsbruecker Landstraße 159, 01109, Dresden, Germany
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13
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Hoffmann AA, Rymer PD, Byrne M, Ruthrof KX, Whinam J, McGeoch M, Bergstrom DM, Guerin GR, Sparrow B, Joseph L, Hill SJ, Andrew NR, Camac J, Bell N, Riegler M, Gardner JL, Williams SE. Impacts of recent climate change on terrestrial flora and fauna: Some emerging Australian examples. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ary A. Hoffmann
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Paul D. Rymer
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment University of Western Sydney Penrith New South Wales
| | - Margaret Byrne
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions Science Division Bentley Delivery Centre Bentley Western Australia Australia
| | - Katinka X. Ruthrof
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch Western Australia Australia
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Kings Park Science Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - Jennie Whinam
- Geography and Spatial Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania Australia
| | - Melodie McGeoch
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | | | - Greg R. Guerin
- TERN School of Biological Sciences and Environment Institute University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Ben Sparrow
- TERN School of Biological Sciences and Environment Institute University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Leo Joseph
- Australian National Wildlife Collection National Research Collections Australia CSIRO Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Sarah J. Hill
- Insect Ecology Lab Centre of Excellence for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Nigel R. Andrew
- Insect Ecology Lab Centre of Excellence for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - James Camac
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis The University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Nicholas Bell
- Pest and Environmental Adaptation Research Group School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute The University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Markus Riegler
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment University of Western Sydney Penrith New South Wales
| | - Janet L. Gardner
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Stephen E. Williams
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science College of Science & Engineering James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
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14
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Møller AP, Erritzøe J, van Dongen S. Body size, developmental instability, and climate change. Evolution 2018; 72:2049-2056. [PMID: 30095156 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Development is often temperature-dependent. We hypothesized smaller size and larger asymmetry with increasing temperatures. However, we also predicted associations with asymmetry to differ among traits that differ in their degree of functional importance (especially the functional wings in migratory birds were predicted to be more canalized), timing of development (skeletal [femur, tarsus, and humerus] vs. feather [wing and tail traits]). We analyzed a large dataset of which we included species with at least 20 specimens resulting in 5533 asymmetry values in 1593 individuals from 66 species. There was a consistent significant decrease in size with temperature across all traits. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) for wings and femur was on average lower, suggesting higher canalization, and it decreased with migration distance, however that was not the case for the other traits. FA increased with increasing temperature for wings, but not for the other characters, where the different responses of different characters to temperature were significant. Because there was no significant three-way interaction between temperature, migration distance, and character, the asymmetry-temperature response was similar in migratory and resident species. These findings imply that climate warming reduces size of all traits and decreases developmental instability of wings in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | | | - Stefan van Dongen
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Building D. D. 137, Universitetsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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15
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McLean N, van der Jeugd HP, van de Pol M. High intra-specific variation in avian body condition responses to climate limits generalisation across species. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192401. [PMID: 29466460 PMCID: PMC5821336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that populations of a species will have similar responses to climate change, and thereby that a single value of sensitivity will reflect species-specific responses. However, this assumption is rarely systematically tested. High intraspecific variation will have consequences for identifying species- or population-level traits that can predict differences in sensitivity, which in turn can affect the reliability of projections of future climate change impacts. We investigate avian body condition responses to changes in six climatic variables and how consistent and generalisable these responses are both across and within species, using 21 years of data from 46 common passerines across 80 Dutch sites. We show that body condition decreases with warmer spring/early summer temperatures and increases with higher humidity, but other climate variables do not show consistent trends across species. In the future, body condition is projected to decrease by 2050, mainly driven by temperature effects. Strikingly, populations of the same species generally responded just as differently as populations of different species implying that a single species signal is not meaningful. Consequently, species-level traits did not explain interspecific differences in sensitivities, rather population-level traits were more important. The absence of a clear species signal in body condition responses implies that generalisation and identifying species for conservation prioritisation is problematic, which sharply contrasts conclusions of previous studies on the climate sensitivity of phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina McLean
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Henk P. van der Jeugd
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Vogeltrekstation - Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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16
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Nadal J, Ponz C, Margalida A. The effects of scaling on age, sex and size relationships in Red-legged Partridges. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2174. [PMID: 29391508 PMCID: PMC5794768 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20576-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild birds differ in size according to their age and sex, adult birds being larger than juveniles. In the galliforms, males are larger than females, in contrast to some groups, such as the raptors, in which the females are larger. Size generally influences the rank hierarchy within a group of birds, although the age, sex, temperament and behaviour of an individual may override its size related rank order. The scaled size of birds according to age and sex affects their physiology and behaviour. Precise details of body-size differences by age and sex are poorly known in most partridge species. We measured 13,814 wild partridges in a homogenous population over 14 years of study to evaluate size differences within a uniform habitat and population management regime. We show that wild Red-legged Partridges have scaled mass, and body- and wing-lengths consistent with age/sex classes. Power functions between mass and body-length (as a proxy for walking efficiency), and between mass and wing-length (for flight efficiency) differ between juvenile females and males, and adult females and males. We discuss these findings and their physiological, behavioural and ecological implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Nadal
- Department of Animal Science, Division of Wildlife, Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.
| | - Carolina Ponz
- Department of Animal Science, Division of Wildlife, Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Antoni Margalida
- Department of Animal Science, Division of Wildlife, Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain.,Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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17
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Gardner JL, Rowley E, de Rebeira P, de Rebeira A, Brouwer L. Effects of extreme weather on two sympatric Australian passerine bird species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0148. [PMID: 28483863 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite abundant evidence that natural populations are responding to climate change, there are few demonstrations of how extreme climatic events (ECEs) affect fitness. Climate warming increases adverse effects of exposure to high temperatures, but also reduces exposure to cold ECEs. Here, we investigate variation in survival associated with severity of summer and winter conditions, and whether survival is better predicted by ECEs than mean temperatures using data from two coexisting bird species monitored over 37 years in southwestern Australia, red-winged fairy-wrens, Malurus elegans and white-browed scrubwrens, Sericornis frontalis Changes in survival were associated with temperature extremes more strongly than average temperatures. In scrubwrens, winter ECEs were associated with survival within the same season. In both species, survival was associated with body size, and there was evidence that size-dependent mortality was mediated by carry-over effects of climate in the previous season. For fairy-wrens, mean body size declined over time but this could not be explained by size-dependent mortality as the effects of body size on survival were consistently positive. Our study demonstrates how ECEs can have individual-level effects on survival that are not reflected in long-term morphological change, and the same climatic conditions can affect similar-sized, coexisting species in different ways.This article is part of the themed issue 'Behavioural, ecological and evolutionary responses to extreme climatic events'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet L Gardner
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200 Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Eleanor Rowley
- 53 Swan Street, Guildford, Western Australia 6055, Australia
| | - Perry de Rebeira
- 12 Glenwood Avenue, Glen Forrest, Western Australia 6071, Australia
| | - Alma de Rebeira
- 12 Glenwood Avenue, Glen Forrest, Western Australia 6071, Australia
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200 Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology NIOO-KNAW, PO Box 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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18
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Sheridan JA, Caruso NM, Apodaca JJ, Rissler LJ. Shifts in frog size and phenology: Testing predictions of climate change on a widespread anuran using data from prior to rapid climate warming. Ecol Evol 2017; 8:1316-1327. [PMID: 29375800 PMCID: PMC5773303 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in body size and breeding phenology have been identified as two major ecological consequences of climate change, yet it remains unclear whether climate acts directly or indirectly on these variables. To better understand the relationship between climate and ecological changes, it is necessary to determine environmental predictors of both size and phenology using data from prior to the onset of rapid climate warming, and then to examine spatially explicit changes in climate, size, and phenology, not just general spatial and temporal trends. We used 100 years of natural history collection data for the wood frog, Lithobates sylvaticus with a range >9 million km2, and spatially explicit environmental data to determine the best predictors of size and phenology prior to rapid climate warming (1901–1960). We then tested how closely size and phenology changes predicted by those environmental variables reflected actual changes from 1961 to 2000. Size, phenology, and climate all changed as expected (smaller, earlier, and warmer, respectively) at broad spatial scales across the entire study range. However, while spatially explicit changes in climate variables accurately predicted changes in phenology, they did not accurately predict size changes during recent climate change (1961–2000), contrary to expectations from numerous recent studies. Our results suggest that changes in climate are directly linked to observed phenological shifts. However, the mechanisms driving observed body size changes are yet to be determined, given the less straightforward relationship between size and climate factors examined in this study. We recommend that caution be used in “space‐for‐time” studies where measures of a species’ traits at lower latitudes or elevations are considered representative of those under future projected climate conditions. Future studies should aim to determine mechanisms driving trends in phenology and body size, as well as the impact of climate on population density, which may influence body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Sheridan
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL USA.,Division of Science Yale-N US College Singapore
| | - Nicholas M Caruso
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL USA
| | | | - Leslie J Rissler
- Division of Environmental Biology National Science Foundation Arlington VA USA
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19
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Naya DE, Naya H, Cook J. Climate change and body size trends in aquatic and terrestrial endotherms: Does habitat matter? PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183051. [PMID: 28813491 PMCID: PMC5558942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have claimed that reduction in body size comprises a nearly universal response to global warming; however, doubts about the validity of this pattern for endothermic species have been raised recently. Accordingly, we assessed temporal changes in body mass for 27 bird and 17 mammal species, to evaluate if a reduction in body size during the 20th century is a widespread phenomenon among endothermic vertebrates. In addition, we tested if there are differences in the temporal change in size between birds and mammals, aquatic and terrestrial species, and the first and second half of the 20th century. Overall, six species increased their body mass, 21 species showed no significant changes in size, and 17 species decreased their body mass during the 20th century. Temporal changes in body mass were similar for birds and mammals, but strongly differ between aquatic and terrestrial species: while most of the aquatic species increased or did not change in body mass, most terrestrial species decreased in size. In addition, we found that, at least in terrestrial birds, the mean value of the correlation between body mass and year of collection differs between the first half and the second half of the 20th century, being close to zero for the former period but negative for the later one. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that temporal changes in body mass differ between aquatic and terrestrial species in both mammals and birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Naya
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- * E-mail:
| | - Hugo Naya
- Unidad de Bioinformática, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Joseph Cook
- Department of Biology and the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
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20
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Little R, Gardner JL, Amano T, Delhey K, Peters A. Are long-term widespread avian body size changes related to food availability? A test using contemporaneous changes in carotenoid-based color. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3157-3166. [PMID: 28480015 PMCID: PMC5415506 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent changes in global climate have been linked with changes in animal body size. While declines in body size are commonly explained as an adaptive thermoregulatory response to climate warming, many species do not decline in size, and alternative explanations for size change exist. One possibility is that temporal changes in animal body size are driven by changes in environmental productivity and food availability. This hypothesis is difficult to test due to the lack of suitable estimates that go back in time. Here, we use an alternative, indirect, approach and assess whether continent-wide changes over the previous 100 years in body size in 15 species of Australian birds are associated with changes in their yellow carotenoid-based plumage coloration. This type of coloration is strongly affected by food availability because birds cannot synthesize carotenoids and need to ingest them, and because color expression depends on general body condition. We found significant continent-wide intraspecific temporal changes in body size (wing length) and yellow carotenoid-based color (plumage reflectance) for half the species. Direction and magnitude of changes were highly variable among species. Meta-analysis indicated that neither body size nor yellow plumage color showed a consistent temporal trend and that changes in color were not correlated with changes in size over the past 100 years. We conclude that our data provide no evidence that broad-scale variation in food availability is a general explanation for continent-wide changes in body size in this group of species. The interspecific variability in temporal changes in size as well as color suggests that it might be unlikely that a single factor drives these changes, and more detailed studies of museum specimens and long-term field studies are required to disentangle the processes involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roellen Little
- School of Biological SciencesMonash UniversityClaytonVic.Australia
| | - Janet L. Gardner
- School of Biological SciencesMonash UniversityClaytonVic.Australia
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and GeneticsThe Australian National UniversityCanberraACTAustralia
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Conservation Science GroupDepartment of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Kaspar Delhey
- School of Biological SciencesMonash UniversityClaytonVic.Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological SciencesMonash UniversityClaytonVic.Australia
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21
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McKechnie AE, Gerson AR, McWhorter TJ, Smith EK, Talbot WA, Wolf BO. Avian thermoregulation in the heat: evaporative cooling in five Australian passerines reveals within-order biogeographic variation in heat tolerance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:2436-2444. [PMID: 28455441 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.155507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Evaporative heat loss pathways vary among avian orders, but the extent to which evaporative cooling capacity and heat tolerance vary within orders remains unclear. We quantified the upper limits to thermoregulation under extremely hot conditions in five Australian passerines: yellow-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus ornatus; ∼17 g), spiny-cheeked honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis; ∼42 g), chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps; ∼52 g), grey butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus; ∼86 g) and apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea; ∼118 g). At air temperatures (Ta) exceeding body temperature (Tb), all five species showed increases in Tb to maximum values around 44-45°C, accompanied by rapid increases in resting metabolic rate above clearly defined upper critical limits of thermoneutrality and increases in evaporative water loss (EWL) to levels equivalent to 670-860% of baseline rates at thermoneutral Ta Maximum cooling capacity, quantified as the fraction of metabolic heat production dissipated evaporatively, ranged from 1.20 to 2.17, consistent with the known range for passerines, and well below the corresponding ranges for columbids and caprimulgids. Heat tolerance limit (HTL, the maximum Ta tolerated) scaled positively with body mass, varying from 46°C in yellow-plumed honeyeaters to 52°C in a single apostlebird, but was lower than that of three southern African ploceid passerines investigated previously. We argue this difference is functionally linked to a smaller scope for increases in EWL above baseline levels. Our data reiterate the reliance of passerines in general on respiratory evaporative heat loss via panting, but also reveal substantial within-order variation in heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E McKechnie
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Alexander R Gerson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Todd J McWhorter
- School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia
| | - Eric Krabbe Smith
- UNM Biology Department, University of New Mexico, MSC03-2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - William A Talbot
- UNM Biology Department, University of New Mexico, MSC03-2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Blair O Wolf
- UNM Biology Department, University of New Mexico, MSC03-2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
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22
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Collins MD, Relyea GE, Blustein EC, Badami SM. Neotropical Migrants Exhibit Variable Body-Size Changes Over Time and Space. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2017. [DOI: 10.1656/045.024.0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Collins
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112
| | - George E. Relyea
- School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152
| | - Erica C. Blustein
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112
| | - Steven M. Badami
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112
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23
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Gardner JL, Symonds MRE, Joseph L, Ikin K, Stein J, Kruuk LEB. Spatial variation in avian bill size is associated with humidity in summer among Australian passerines. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1186/s40665-016-0026-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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24
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Gardner JL, Amano T, Sutherland WJ, Clayton M, Peters A. Individual and demographic consequences of reduced body condition following repeated exposure to high temperatures. Ecology 2016. [DOI: 10.1890/15-0642.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Janet L. Gardner
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Vic. 3168 Australia
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EJ United Kingdom
| | - William J. Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EJ United Kingdom
| | | | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Vic. 3168 Australia
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25
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Naujokaitis-Lewis I, Fortin MJ. Spatio-temporal variation of biotic factors underpins contemporary range dynamics of congeners. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:1201-1213. [PMID: 26716759 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2014] [Revised: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Species' ranges are complex often exhibiting multidirectional shifts over space and time. Despite the strong fingerprint of recent historical climate change on species' distributions, biotic factors such as loss of vegetative habitat and the presence of potential competitors constitute important yet often overlooked drivers of range dynamics. Furthermore, short-term changes in environmental conditions can influence the underlying processes of local extinction and local colonization that drive range shifts, yet are rarely considered at broad scales. We used dynamic state-space occupancy models to test multiple hypotheses of the relative importance of major drivers of range shifts of Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) and Blue-winged Warblers (V. cyanoptera) between 1983 and 2012 across North America: warming temperatures; habitat changes; and occurrence of congeneric species, used here as proxy for biotic interactions. Dynamic occupancies for both species were most influenced by spatial relative to temporal variation in temperature and habitat. However, temporal variation in temperature anomalies and biotic interactions remained important. The two biotic factors considered, habitat change and biotic interactions, had the largest relative effect on estimated extinction rates followed by abiotic temperature anomalies. For the Golden-winged Warbler, the predicted presence of the Blue-winged Warbler, a hypothesized competitor, most influenced extinction probabilities, contributing to evidence supporting its role in site-level species replacement. Given the overall importance of biotic factors on range-wide dynamic occupancies, their consideration alongside abiotic factors should not be overlooked. Our results suggest that warming compounds the negative effect of habitat loss emphasizing species' need for habitat to adapt to a changing climate. Notably, even closely related species exhibited individual responses to abiotic and biotic factors considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Marie-Josée Fortin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
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26
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Griffith SC, Mainwaring MC, Sorato E, Beckmann C. High atmospheric temperatures and 'ambient incubation' drive embryonic development and lead to earlier hatching in a passerine bird. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:150371. [PMID: 26998315 PMCID: PMC4785966 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tropical and subtropical species typically experience relatively high atmospheric temperatures during reproduction, and are subject to climate-related challenges that are largely unexplored, relative to more extensive work conducted in temperate regions. We studied the effects of high atmospheric and nest temperatures during reproduction in the zebra finch. We characterized the temperature within nests in a subtropical population of this species in relation to atmospheric temperature. Temperatures within nests frequently exceeded the level at which embryo's develop optimally, even in the absence of parental incubation. We experimentally manipulated internal nest temperature to demonstrate that an average difference of 6°C in the nest temperature during the laying period reduced hatching time by an average of 3% of the total incubation time, owing to 'ambient incubation'. Given the avian constraint of laying a single egg per day, the first eggs of a clutch are subject to prolonged effects of nest temperature relative to later laid eggs, potentially increasing hatching asynchrony. While birds may ameliorate the negative effects of ambient incubation on embryonic development by varying the location and design of their nests, high atmospheric temperatures are likely to constitute an important selective force on avian reproductive behaviour and physiology in subtropical and tropical regions, particularly in the light of predicted climate change that in many areas is leading to a higher frequency of hot days during the periods when birds breed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- School of Biological and Earth Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Mark C. Mainwaring
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Enrico Sorato
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Christa Beckmann
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
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27
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Kruuk LEB, Osmond HL, Cockburn A. Contrasting effects of climate on juvenile body size in a Southern Hemisphere passerine bird. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:2929-41. [PMID: 26058467 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Despite extensive research on the topic, it has been difficult to reach general conclusions as to the effects of climate change on morphology in wild animals: in particular, the effects of warming temperatures have been associated with increases, decreases or stasis in body size in different populations. Here, we use a fine-scale analysis of associations between weather and offspring body size in a long-term study of a wild passerine bird, the cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wren, in south-eastern Australia to show that such variation in the direction of associations occurs even within a population. Over the past 26 years, our study population has experienced increased temperatures, increased frequency of heatwaves and reduced rainfall - but the mean body mass of chicks has not changed. Despite the apparent stasis, mass was associated with weather across the previous year, but in multiple counteracting ways. Firstly, (i) chick mass was negatively associated with extremely recent heatwaves, but there also positive associations with (ii) higher maximum temperatures and (iii) higher rainfall, both occurring in a period prior to and during the nesting period, and finally (iv) a longer-term negative association with higher maximum temperatures following the previous breeding season. Our results illustrate how a morphological trait may be affected by both short- and long-term effects of the same weather variable at multiple times of the year and that these effects may act in different directions. We also show that climate within the relevant time windows may not be changing in the same way, such that overall long-term temporal trends in body size may be minimal. Such complexity means that analytical approaches that search for a single 'best' window for one particular weather variable may miss other relevant information, and is also likely to make analyses of phenotypic plasticity and prediction of longer-term population dynamics difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loeske E B Kruuk
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Helen L Osmond
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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28
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Xi X, Wu X, Nylin S, Sun S. Body size response to warming: time of the season matters in a tephritid fly. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xinqiang Xi
- Dept of Ecology; College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Univ.; 22 Hankou Road CN-210093 Nanjing PR China
| | - Xinwei Wu
- Dept of Ecology; College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Univ.; 22 Hankou Road CN-210093 Nanjing PR China
| | - Sören Nylin
- Dept of Zoology; Stockholm Univ.; SE-106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Shucun Sun
- Dept of Ecology; College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Univ.; 22 Hankou Road CN-210093 Nanjing PR China
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Inst. of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; No 9 Section, 4 Renminnan Road CN-610041 Chengdu PR China
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