Impact of global warming at the range margins: phenotypic plasticity and behavioral thermoregulation will buffer an endemic amphibian

Ecology and Evolution

Manuel Ruiz-Aravena¹  Avia Gonzalez-Mendez²  Sergio A. Estay³  Juan D. Gaitán-Espitia³  Ismael Barria-Oyarzo³  José L. Bartheld³ 

[1] School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering & Technology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia;Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile;Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

关键词: Amphibian;    behavioral thermoregulation;    global warming;    operative temperature;    phenotypic plasticity;    thermal performance curve;    thermal tolerance;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ece3.1315

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

When dispersal is not an option to evade warming temperatures, compensation through behavior, plasticity, or evolutionary adaptation is essential to prevent extinction. In this work, we evaluated whether there is physiological plasticity in the thermal performance curve (TPC) of maximum jumping speed in individuals acclimated to current and projected temperatures and whether there is an opportunity for behavioral thermoregulation in the desert landscape where inhabits the northernmost population of the endemic frog Pleurodema thaul. Our results indicate that individuals acclimated to 20°C and 25°C increased the breath of their TPCs by shifting their upper limits with respect to when they were acclimated at 10°C. In addition, even when dispersal is not possible for this population, the landscape is heterogeneous enough to offer opportunities for behavioral thermoregulation. In particular, under current climatic conditions, behavioral thermoregulation is not compulsory as available operative temperatures are encompassed within the population TPC limits. However, for severe projected temperatures under climate change, behavioral thermoregulation will be required in the sunny patches. In overall, our results suggest that this population of Pleurodema thaul will be able to endure the worst projected scenario of climate warming as it has not only the physiological capacities but also the environmental opportunities to regulate its body temperature behaviorally.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.