Thermal stress is a key issue for species dominant within ecosystems especially those that carry out key ecosystem service roles. When assessing the impacts of climate change it is critical to assess its biotic impacts relative to other anthropogenic changes to landscapes including the reduction of native vegetation cover, landscape fragmentation and changes in land use intensity. Here we integrate the observed phenotypic plasticity of the dominant and ubiqitous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus in critical thermal limits across altitudinal, land cover and land use gradients to: (i) predict the adaptive capacity of a key terrestrial ecosystem service provider to changes in climate, land cover and land use, and (ii) assess the ability of multiple use landscapes to confer maximum resilience to terrestrial biodiversity in the face of a changing climate. The research was carried out along a 270km aridity gradient spanning 840m in altitude in northern New South Wales, Australia. When we assessed critical thermal maximum temperatures (CT max ) of meat ants in relation to the environmental variables, and within the model we had critical thermal minimums of meat ants (CT min ) as a random slope and as a fixed effect we detected a negative aridity effect on CT max , a negative effect of land use intensity, and no overall correlation between CT max and CT min . We also found a negative relationship with warming tolerance of I. purpureus and landscape aridity. In conclusion, we expect to see a reduction in the physiological resilience of I. purpureus as land use intensity increases and as the climate becomes more arid. Meat ants are key ecosystem engineers and as they are put under more stress, wider ecological implications may occur if populations decline or disappear.
Abstract
10Thermal stress is a key issue for species dominant within ecosystems especially those that 11 carry out key ecosystem service roles. When assessing the impacts of climate change it is 12 critical to assess its biotic impacts relative to other anthropogenic changes to landscapes 13 including the reduction of native vegetation cover, landscape fragmentation and changes in 14 land use intensity. Here we integrate the observed phenotypic plasticity of the dominant and 15 ubiqitous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus in critical thermal limits across altitudinal, land 16 cover and land use gradients to: (i) predict the adaptive capacity of a key terrestrial ecosystem 17 service provider to changes in climate, land cover and land use, and (ii) assess the ability of 18 multiple use landscapes to confer maximum resilience to terrestrial biodiversity in the face of a 19 changing climate. The research was carried out along a 270km aridity gradient spanning 840m 20 in altitude in northern New South Wales, Australia. When we assessed critical thermal 21 maximum temperatures (CT max ) of meat ants in relation to the environmental variables, and 22 within the model we had critical thermal minimums of meat ants (CT min ) as a random slope and 23 as a fixed effect we d...