Behavioral flexibility as a mechanism for coping with climate change

Abstract

Of the primary responses to contemporary climate change – “move, adapt, acclimate, or die” – that are available to organisms, “acclimate” may be effectively achieved through behavioral modification. Behavioral flexibility allows animals to rapidly cope with changing environmental conditions, and behavior represents an important component of a species’ adaptive capacity in the face of climate change. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge about the limits or constraints on behavioral responses to changing conditions. Here, we characterize the contexts in which organisms respond to climate variability through behavior. First, we quantify patterns in behavioral responses across taxa with respect to timescales, climatic stimuli, life‐history traits, and ecology. Next, we identify existing knowledge gaps, research biases, and other challenges. Finally, we discuss how conservation practitioners and resource managers can incorporate an improved understanding of behavioral flexibility into natural resource management and policy decisions.

The relative influence of change in habitat and climate on elevation range limits in small mammals in Yosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.

“…Thus, our results suggest that physiological limits of species play a key role in determining lower range limits of high elevation species [61]. Some of these physiological limitations could have been reduced by behavioural adaptations such as seeking shade under the vegetation canopy or rock crevices [62,63]. Because such structures are widely available at these elevations, it suggests that these species may already be behaving in such way to ameliorate climate effects, but observational studies are needed to confirm such behavioural changes.…”

“…While common during Grinnell's time, this species contracted its range to the extent that it is now so rare that we were unable to obtain sufficient presences for modelling. Similarly, evolutionary and behavioural flexibility might also "loosen" otherwise tight links between species and the abiotic environment [63]. Indeed, in the Yosemite transect the shadow chipmunk likely competes with the alpine chipmunk (T. alpinus), which has not retracted its range as much.…”

Phenotypic plasticity in the timing of reproduction in Andean bears

“…The observed effect of photoperiod on reproduction in captive Andean bears at high latitudes may also imply that free‐living bears at low latitudes may be constrained in their ability to adjust reproductive timing to resource availability as environments change (e.g. Visser et al ., ; Beever et al ., ).…”

Water restriction induces behavioral fight but impairs thermoregulation in a dry‐skinned ectotherm

“…Behavioral plasticity is critical for organisms to cope with both acute and chronic changes in environmental conditions, such as the short‐term effects of extreme weather events and long‐term consequences of ongoing climate change (Wong and Candolin , Beever et al ). In the last two decades, a growing number of ecological studies investigated how changes in thermal quality of the environment (Row and Blouin‐Demers , Sears et al ), food availability (Manenti et al , Long et al ), and predation pressures (McGhee et al ) cause shifts in individual behavior that contribute to ecological responses to environmental changes.…”