Behavioral plasticity mitigates the effect of warming on white‐tailed deer

Abstract

Climate change is expected to create novel environments in which extant species cannot persist, therefore leading to the loss of them and their associated ecological functions within the ecosystem. However, animals may employ behavioral mechanisms in response to warming that could allow them to maintain their functional roles in an ecosystem despite changed temperatures. Specifically, animals may shift their activity in space or time to make use of thermal heterogeneity on the landscape. However, few studies consider the role of behavioral plasticity and spatial or temporal heterogeneity in mitigating the effects of climate change. We conducted experiments to evaluate the potential importance of behavior in mediating the net effects of warming on white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We used shade structures to manipulate the thermal environment around feeding stations to monitor deer feeding activity and measure total consumption. In individual experiments where deer only had access to unshaded feeders, deer fed less during the day but compensated by increasing feeding during times when temperature was lower. In group experiments where deer had access to both shaded and unshaded feeders, deer often fed during the day but disproportionally preferred the cooler, shaded feeders. Our results suggest that deer can capitalize on temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the thermal environment to meet nutritional and thermal requirements, demonstrating the importance of behavioral plasticity when predicting the net effects of climate change.

Sea temperature effects on depth use and habitat selection in a marine fish community

“…Recent studies have suggested that behavioural plasticity may enable terrestrial mammal species to cope with unsuitable environmental conditions, allowing them to maintain their functional role in the ecosystems as climate changes (Abernathy et al, 2019;Buchholz et al, 2019;Wolff et al, 2020). In this study, both warmwater and cold-water affinity species showed the capacity to adjust their behaviour in space and time to cope with the seasonal thermal heterogeneity of the ecosystem.…”

“…Changes in climate are expected to alter existing environments and create novel ones, which may lead to local loss of organisms and their associated function in the ecosystem (Corrales et al, 2018;Pinsky et al, 2019;Yeruham et al, 2020). It has been suggested that behavioural responses, such as shifts in activity in space and time, may enable species to cope with thermally stressful environments, allowing them to maintain their functional roles in the ecosystem despite changed temperature (Fey et al, 2019;Wolff et al, 2020).…”

Climate adaptation actions for urban forests and human health

“…[343][344][345] Whitetailed deer populations are generally expected to remain high or increase as a result of more favorable climate conditions and also high behavioral plasticity. 346,347 Protecting desired species from herbivory can effectively reduce browse damage and prevent associated impacts of reduced growth and carbon sequestration. Managing herbivory also can be important in fostering resilience to other stressors that are exacerbated by climate change.…”

Topographic and vegetation drivers of thermal heterogeneity along the boreal–grassland transition zone in western Canada: Implications for climate change refugia

“…In other words, terrain effects can be strong enough that local climatic trends deviate from conditions at larger (meso or synoptic) spatial scales; this has been proposed as one of the key features of climate change refugia (Dobrowski, 2011 ; Morelli et al, 2016 ; Stralberg et al, 2020 ). Consequently, local topography can create thermally heterogeneous landscapes that directly affect key ecological processes and patterns (Elsen et al, 2020 ; Swanson et al, 1988 ) and have the potential to reduce the exposure of biodiversity to climate extremes (De Frenne et al, 2013 ; Letten et al, 2013 ; Scheffers et al, 2014 ; Wolff et al, 2020 ). For instance, thermal heterogeneity was critical for the redistribution of many species during and after the last glacial period, particularly for disjunct populations (e.g., Fuentes‐Hurtado et al, 2016 ; Leipold et al, 2017 ), suggesting the importance of refugia for species in a contemporary climate change context.…”