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Persson E, Ó Cuív C, Nord A. Thermoregulatory consequences of growing up during a heatwave or a cold snap in Japanese quail. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246876. [PMID: 38073475 PMCID: PMC10906667 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246876] [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: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Changes in environmental temperature during development can affect growth, metabolism and temperature tolerance of the offspring. We know little about whether such changes remain to adulthood, which is important to understand the links between climate change, development and fitness. We investigated whether phenotypic consequences of the thermal environment in early life remained in adulthood in two studies on Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Birds were raised under simulated heatwave, cold snap or control conditions, from hatching until halfway through the growth period, and then in common garden conditions until reproductively mature. We measured biometric and thermoregulatory [metabolic heat production (MHP), evaporative water and heat loss (EWL, EHL) and body temperature] responses to variation in submaximal air temperature at the end of the thermal acclimation period and in adulthood. Warm birds had lower MHP than control birds at the end of the thermal acclimation period and, in the warmest temperature studied (40°C), also had higher evaporative cooling capacity compared with controls. No analogous responses were recorded in cold birds, although they had higher EWL than controls in all but the highest test temperature. None of the effects found at the end of the heatwave or cold snap period remained until adulthood. This implies that chicks exposed to higher temperatures could be more prepared to counter heat stress as juveniles but that they do not enjoy any advantages of such developmental conditions when facing high temperatures as adults. Conversely, cold temperature does not seem to confer any priming effects in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin Persson
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ciarán Ó Cuív
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Nord
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden
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2
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Ortega S, Rodríguez C, Drummond H. Seasonal weather effects on offspring survival differ between reproductive stages in a long-lived neotropical seabird. Oecologia 2022; 199:611-623. [PMID: 35829792 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05219-3] [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: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Weather conditions can profoundly affect avian reproduction. It is known that weather conditions prior to and after the onset of reproduction can affect the breeding success of birds. However, little is known about how seasonal weather variability can affect birds' breeding performance, particularly for species with a slow pace of life. Long-term studies are key to understanding how weather variability can affect a population's dynamics, especially when extreme weather events are expected to increase with climate change. Using a 32-year population study of the Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) in Mexico, we show that seasonal variation in weather conditions, predominantly during the incubation stage, affects offspring survival and body condition at independence. During most of the incubation period, warm sea surface temperatures were correlated with low hatching success, while rainfall in the middle of the incubation stage was correlated with high fledging success. In addition, chicks from nests that experienced warm sea surface temperatures from the pre-laying stage to near-fledging had lower body condition at 70 days of age. Finally, we show that variable annual SST conditions before and during the incubation stage can impair breeding performance. Our results provide insight into how seasonal and interannual weather variation during key reproductive stages can affect hatching success, fledging success, and fledgling body condition in a long-lived neotropical seabird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Ortega
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04500, Mexico City, México. .,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México.
| | - Cristina Rodríguez
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04500, Mexico City, México
| | - Hugh Drummond
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04500, Mexico City, México
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3
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Skwarska J, Podstawczyńska A, Bańbura M, Glądalski M, Kaliński A, Markowski M, Wawrzyniak J, Zieliński P, Bańbura J. Effects of ambient temperature during the nestling stage on a stress indicator in nestling pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2022; 66:139-148. [PMID: 34618217 PMCID: PMC8727405 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-021-02199-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Long-term and short-term changes in ambient temperature can cause stress in birds, leading to changes in the level of hematological parameters. The H:L ratio (heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) is a hematological index that allows for the assessment of the stress induced by environmental changes, including weather conditions. In this paper, we examined the influence of temperatures and the sum of precipitation on the health of nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) by using the H:L ratio reflecting the body's response to stress. All examined temperature indicators influenced the H:L ratio, yet the average value of daily minimum temperature during the first 12 days of nestling life had the strongest influence, maximum temperature had the weakest effect, while precipitation had no significant influence. Our research indicates that even a small increase in temperature caused a stress reaction in nestling pied flycatchers, which was reflected by an increase in the H:L ratio. The increase in the stress index (H:L ratio) was probably a result of poor weather conditions (precipitation, low temperature), which prevented the adult birds from actively foraging and properly feeding the nestlings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Skwarska
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Podstawczyńska
- Department of Meteorology and Climatology, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Łódź, Narutowicza 88, 90-139 Łódź, Poland
| | - Mirosława Bańbura
- Museum of Natural History, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Kilińskiego 101, 90-011 Łódź, Poland
| | - Michał Glądalski
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Adam Kaliński
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Marcin Markowski
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Jarosław Wawrzyniak
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Piotr Zieliński
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
| | - Jerzy Bańbura
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland
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Corregidor‐Castro A, Jones OR. The effect of nest temperature on growth and survival in juvenile Great Tits Parus major. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7346-7353. [PMID: 34188817 PMCID: PMC8216922 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
For birds, maintaining an optimal nest temperature is critical for early-life growth and development. Temperatures deviating from this optimum can affect nestling growth and fledging success with potential consequences on survival and lifetime reproductive success. It is therefore particularly important to understand these effects in relation to projected temperature changes associated with climate change.Targets set by the 2015 Paris Agreement aim to limit temperature increases to 2°C, and, with this in mind, we carried out an experiment in 2017 and 2018 where we applied a treatment that increased Great Tit Parus major nest temperature by approximately this magnitude (achieving an increase of 1.6°C, relative to the control) during the period from hatching to fledging to estimate how small temperature differences might affect nestling body size and weight at fledging and fledging success.We recorded hatching and fledging success and measured skeletal size (tarsus length) and body mass at days 5, 7, 10, and 15 posthatch in nestlings from two groups of nest boxes: control and heated (+1.6°C).Our results show that nestlings in heated nest boxes were 1.6% smaller in skeletal size at fledging than those in the cooler control nests, indicating lower growth rates in heated boxes, and that their weight was, in addition, 3.3% lower.These results suggest that even fairly small changes in temperature can influence phenotype and postfledging survival in cavity-nesting birds. This has the potential to affect the population dynamics of these birds in the face of ongoing climatic change, as individuals of reduced size in colder winters may suffer from decreased fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Owen R. Jones
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Southern DenmarkOdense MDenmark
- Interdisciplinary Center on Population Dynamics (CPop)University of Southern DenmarkOdense MDenmark
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5
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Ton R, Stier A, Cooper CE, Griffith SC. Effects of Heat Waves During Post-natal Development on Mitochondrial and Whole Body Physiology: An Experimental Study in Zebra Finches. Front Physiol 2021; 12:661670. [PMID: 33986695 PMCID: PMC8110927 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.661670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves and exposure to these extreme temperatures impacts individual physiology and performance (e.g., metabolism, water balance, and growth). These traits may be susceptible to thermal conditions experienced during embryonic development, but experiments focusing on post-natal development are scant. Documented effects of heat waves on whole-body metabolism may reflect changes in mitochondrial function, but most studies do not measure physiological traits at both the cellular and whole organism levels. Here, we exposed nests of zebra finches to experimentally simulated heat waves for 18 days after hatching and measured body mass, growth rate, whole-body metabolic rate, body temperature, wet thermal conductance, evaporative water loss, and relative water economy of chicks at three ages corresponding to ectothermic (day 5), poikilothermic (day 12), and homoeothermic (day 50) stages. Additionally, we measured mitochondrial bioenergetics of blood cells 80 days post-hatch. While early-life exposure to heat wave conditions did not impact whole body metabolic and hygric physiology, body temperature was lower for birds from heated compared with control nests at both 12 and 50 days of age. There was also an effect of nest heating at the cellular level, with mitochondria from heated birds having higher endogenous and proton-leak related respiration, although oxidative phosphorylation, maximum respiratory capacity, and coupling efficiency were not impacted. Our results suggest that early-life exposure to high ambient temperature induces programming effects on cellular-level and thermal physiology that may not be apparent for whole-animal metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Ton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Christine E. Cooper
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Experimental manipulation of cavity temperature produces differential effects on parasite abundances in blue tit nests at two different latitudes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2021; 14:287-297. [PMID: 33898230 PMCID: PMC8056126 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Although different predictive models forecast that climate change will alter the distribution and incidence of parasitic diseases, few studies have investigated how microclimatic changes may affect host-parasite relationships. In this study, we experimentally increased the temperature inside nest boxes of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus during the nestling period at two different latitudes (central Spain and central Germany) to determine its effect on parasite abundance. The two localities have contrasting climate conditions: the southern one in Spain is warmer and drier than the northern one in Germany. Consistent with this, we observed that the parasitic fauna in nests at the two localities differs. The flea species Ceratophyllus gallinae was more abundant in the northern locality, while the blowfly species Protocalliphora azurea and biting midge species of the genus Culicoides were more abundant in the southern one, as were blood parasites. Moreover, dermanyssid mites and blackflies (Simuliidae) were observed only in the southern locality. The temperature inside nest boxes was increased using heat mats placed underneath the nest material during the nestling period (day 3 to day13 post-hatching). Compared with control nests, the average temperature in heated nests increased by 2.24 °C and 1.35 °C at night in Spain and Germany, respectively. Consequently, the average relative humidity in heated versus control nests decreased 4.93 and 0.82 units in Spain and Germany, respectively. The abundance of blowfly pupae in the heated nests was significantly lower than that of control nests at both localities. The abundance of larval fleas was also lower in the heated nests, but only at the Spanish locality. Infection by the blood parasites Haemoproteus/Plasmodium was higher in males attending the heated nests in Germany, and the control nests in Spain. Moreover, both male body mass and nestling wing length were negatively related to the abundance of larval fleas. In conclusion, our results indicate that increased temperature at the nestling stage may affect the fitness of blue tits by altering parasite prevalence rates. Temperature increase inside blue tit nest boxes affects ectoparasite abundance at two different localities. Blowfly and flea larvae abundances were negatively affected by increase in temperature. Male body mass and nestling wing length were negatively related to the abundance of flea larvae.
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Sauve D, Friesen VL, Charmantier A. The Effects of Weather on Avian Growth and Implications for Adaptation to Climate Change. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.569741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is forecasted to generate a range of evolutionary changes and plastic responses. One important aspect of avian responses to climate change is how weather conditions may change nestling growth and development. Early life growth is sensitive to environmental effects and can potentially have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes and fitness. A detailed understanding of both how and when weather conditions affect the entire growth trajectory of a nestling may help predict population changes in phenotypes and demography under climate change. This review covers three main topics on the impacts of weather variation (air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, solar radiation) on nestling growth. Firstly, we highlight why understanding the effects of weather on nestling growth might be important in understanding adaptation to, and population persistence in, environments altered by climate change. Secondly, we review the documented effects of weather variation on nestling growth curves. We investigate both altricial and precocial species, but we find a limited number of studies on precocial species in the wild. Increasing temperatures and rainfall have mixed effects on nestling growth, while increasing windspeeds tend to have negative impacts on the growth rate of open cup nesting species. Thirdly, we discuss how weather variation might affect the evolution of nestling growth traits and suggest that more estimates of the inheritance of and selection acting on growth traits in natural settings are needed to make evolutionary predictions. We suggest that predictions will be improved by considering concurrently changing selection pressures like urbanization. The importance of adaptive plastic or evolutionary changes in growth may depend on where a species or population is located geographically and the species’ life-history. Detailed characterization of the effects of weather on growth patterns will help answer whether variation in avian growth frequently plays a role in adaption to climate change.
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8
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Lowney AM, Bolopo D, Krochuk BA, Thomson RL. The Large Communal Nests of Sociable Weavers Provide Year-Round Insulated Refuge for Weavers and Pygmy Falcons. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.570006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Bourne AR, Cunningham SJ, Spottiswoode CN, Ridley AR. High temperatures drive offspring mortality in a cooperatively breeding bird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201140. [PMID: 33043866 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.31.126862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
An improved understanding of life-history responses to current environmental variability is required to predict species-specific responses to anthopogenic climate change. Previous research has suggested that cooperation in social groups may buffer individuals against some of the negative effects of unpredictable climates. We use a 15-year dataset on a cooperative breeding arid zone bird, the southern pied babbler Turdoides bicolor, to test (i) whether environmental conditions and group size correlate with survival of young during three development stages (egg, nestling, fledgling) and (ii) whether group size mitigates the impacts of adverse environmental conditions on survival of young. Exposure to high mean daily maximum temperatures (mean Tmax) during early development was associated with reduced survival probabilities of young in all three development stages. No young survived when mean Tmax > 38°C, across all group sizes. Low survival of young at high temperatures has broad implications for recruitment and population persistence in avian communities given the rapid pace of advancing climate change. Impacts of high temperatures on survival of young were not moderated by group size, suggesting that the availability of more helpers in a group is unlikely to buffer against compromised offspring survival as average and maximum temperatures increase with rapid anthropogenic climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Bourne
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Claire N Spottiswoode
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
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10
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Bourne AR, Cunningham SJ, Spottiswoode CN, Ridley AR. High temperatures drive offspring mortality in a cooperatively breeding bird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201140. [PMID: 33043866 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
An improved understanding of life-history responses to current environmental variability is required to predict species-specific responses to anthopogenic climate change. Previous research has suggested that cooperation in social groups may buffer individuals against some of the negative effects of unpredictable climates. We use a 15-year dataset on a cooperative breeding arid zone bird, the southern pied babbler Turdoides bicolor, to test (i) whether environmental conditions and group size correlate with survival of young during three development stages (egg, nestling, fledgling) and (ii) whether group size mitigates the impacts of adverse environmental conditions on survival of young. Exposure to high mean daily maximum temperatures (mean Tmax) during early development was associated with reduced survival probabilities of young in all three development stages. No young survived when mean Tmax > 38°C, across all group sizes. Low survival of young at high temperatures has broad implications for recruitment and population persistence in avian communities given the rapid pace of advancing climate change. Impacts of high temperatures on survival of young were not moderated by group size, suggesting that the availability of more helpers in a group is unlikely to buffer against compromised offspring survival as average and maximum temperatures increase with rapid anthropogenic climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Bourne
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Claire N Spottiswoode
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
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11
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Nord A, Giroud S. Lifelong Effects of Thermal Challenges During Development in Birds and Mammals. Front Physiol 2020; 11:419. [PMID: 32523540 PMCID: PMC7261927 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Before they develop competent endothermy, mammals and birds are sensitive to fluctuating temperature. It follows that early life thermal environment can trigger changes to the ontogeny of thermoregulatory control. At the ecological level, we have incomplete knowledge of how such responses affect temperature tolerance later in life. In some cases, changes to pre- and postnatal temperature prime an organism's capacity to meet a corresponding thermal environment in adulthood. However, in other cases, developmental temperature seems to constrain temperature tolerance later in life. The timing, duration, and severity of a thermal challenge will determine whether its impact is ameliorating or constraining. However, the effects influencing the transition between these states remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals and during the postnatal period. As climate change is predicted to bring more frequent spells of extreme temperature, it is relevant to ask under which circumstances developmental thermal conditions predispose or constrain animals' capacity to deal with temperature variation. Increasingly stochastic weather also implies increasingly decoupled early- and late-life thermal environments. Hence, there is a pressing need to understand better how developmental temperature impacts thermoregulatory responses to matched and mismatched thermal challenges in subsequent life stages. Here, we summarize studies on how the thermal environment before, and shortly after, birth affects the ontogeny of thermoregulation in birds and mammals, and outline how this might carry over to temperature tolerance in adulthood. We also identify key points that need addressing to understand how effects of temperature variation during development may facilitate or constrain thermal adaptation over a lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nord
- Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sylvain Giroud
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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12
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Imlay TL, Nickerson D, Horn AG. Temperature and breeding success for Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nesting on man-made structures: ecological traps? CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
When an environmental cue that previously signaled a suitable habitat leads an animal to use an unsuitable site, individual fitness can decrease, ultimately leading to population declines. Such “ecological traps” may be particularly likely for birds that use human infrastructure for nesting. Here we tested whether high nest temperatures and the physical properties of barns are associated with lower breeding success for a declining population of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817)). We monitored nests under barn eaves below wood and metal roofs to determine nestling survival and mass, and recorded temperature under barn eaves, to relate ambient temperature to eave temperature. We found that eave temperature increased with ambient temperatures and was higher at high temperatures and lower at cool temperatures under metal roofs than wood roofs. Nestling survival was lower during periods with higher ambient temperatures, and both survival and mass were lower under metal roofs. Our findings suggest that barn eaves, especially those with metal roofs, may be an ecological trap for Cliff Swallows, where a seemingly suitable nesting site early in the breeding season results in low breeding success. Furthermore, warming temperatures may lead to ecological traps for other bird species, particularly those nesting in man-made structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L. Imlay
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Donavon Nickerson
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andrew G. Horn
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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13
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Speights CJ, Wolff CL, Barton ME, Barton BT. Why and How to Create Nighttime Warming Treatments for Ecological Field Experiments. THE YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2018; 91:471-480. [PMID: 30588212 PMCID: PMC6302633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
While average global temperatures are increasing, a disproportionate amount of warming can be attributed to increasing nighttime temperatures rather than increasing daytime temperatures. Theory predicts that the timing of warming can generate different effects on organisms and their interactions within ecosystems. This occurs because an organism's response to warming depends on the current temperature. For example, warming when temperatures are low may have positive effects on an organism, while warming when temperatures are already high may have negative effects on an organism. Most field experiments that examine the ecological effects of climate warming employ warming methodologies that disproportionately elevate daytime warming treatments. The bias towards daytime warming treatments may arise because daytime temperatures can be manipulated with relatively simple and inexpensive technology that capitalizes on solar energy, such as open-top chambers that create a "greenhouse effect" or shade structures that reduce temperatures. However, these popular methods are ineffective when solar radiation is absent, and thus do not create warming treatments that accurately mimic the temporal patterns of climate warming. To encourage the investigation of nighttime warming's effect on ecosystems, we discuss why daytime and nighttime warming may have different effects on organisms, then present a review of methods that can be employed to elevate nighttime temperature in terrestrial field experiments. For each method, we offer a brief explanation, an evaluation of its pros and cons, and citations for further reference, as well as empirical data when possible. While some are impractical, we attempt to provide a comprehensive list of potential nighttime warming methods in hopes of stimulating ideas and discussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cori J. Speights
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Carter L. Wolff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Martha E. Barton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Brandon T. Barton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
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