Exposure to climate change drives stability or collapse of desert mammal and bird communities

Riddell, Eric A.; Iknayan, Kelly J.; Hargrove, Lori; Tremor, Scott; Patton, James L.; Ramirez, Richard W; Wolf, Blair O.; Beissinger, Steven R.

doi:10.1126/science.abd4605

Cited by 140 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…In a captive environment where food is not a limiting resource, cactus mice spent less energy during the dark phase under constant warm conditions than they did under diurnally variable conditions, which suggesting that extreme or extended temperature events may shape cactus mouse foraging strategies or activity patterns into the future (Du Plessis et al, 2012;Mason et al, 2017;Riddell et al, 2019Riddell et al, , 2021. Behavioral thermoregulation can be achieved through increasing or decreasing activity or by relocating to a thermally suitable microclimate (e.g., underground burrow) to buffer against excessive heat (Riddell et al, 2021). While behavioral thermoregulation is energetically less expensive compared to autonomic thermoregulation (Terrien et al, 2011;Hayford et al, 2015), there is a tradeoff between the energy and time invested in thermoregulation and that which remains available for other biological processes critical to survival.…”

Section: Circadian Metabolic Tuningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Warming temperatures and increasing desertification are predicted to impact most species in North America (Parmesan and Yohe, 2003;Urban, 2015;IPCC, 2018). One productive line of research has been related to desert animals (Kordonowy et al, 2017;MacManes, 2017;Riddell et al, 2019Riddell et al, , 2021Rocha et al, 2021) which are already adapted to hot and dry conditions and therefore may illustrate mechanisms (e.g., molecular, behavioral, or physiological) through which animals may adapt to warming climate (Vale and Brito, 2015;Rocha et al, 2021). Much research has been devoted to understanding genetic correlates with heat and dehydration tolerance in extant desert-adapted taxa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disentangling environmental drivers of circadian metabolism in desert-adapted mice

Colella

Blumstein

MacManes

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Metabolism is a complex phenotype shaped by natural environmental rhythms, as well as behavioral, morphological, and physiological adaptations. Metabolism has been historically studied under constant environmental conditions, but new methods of continuous metabolic phenotyping now offer a window into organismal responses to dynamic environments, and enable identification of abiotic controls and the timing of physiological responses relative to environmental change. We use indirect calorimetry to characterize metabolic phenotypes of the desert-adapted cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) in response variable environmental conditions that mimic their native environment versus those recorded under constant warm and constant cool conditions, while using a constant photoperiod and full access to resources. We found significant sexual dimorphism, with males being more prone to dehydration than females. Under circadian environmental variation, most metabolic shifts occurred prior to physical environmental change and the timing was disrupted under both constant temperature-humidity treatments. The ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed (the respiratory quotient) reached greater than 1.0, only during the light phase under diurnally variable conditions, a pattern that strongly suggests that lipogenesis is contributing to the production of energy and endogenous water. Our results are consistent with historical descriptions of circadian torpor in this species (torpid by day, active by night), but reject the hypothesis that torpor is initiated by food restriction or negative water balance.

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Section: Circadian Metabolic Tuningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling environmental drivers of circadian metabolism in desert-adapted mice

Colella

Blumstein

MacManes

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Habitat differences in the form of microhabitats can be exploited by fossorial rodents living in drylands. Underground burrowing systems offer a buffering zone which can help small mammals living in warming and drying conditions to adapt to climate stress (Riddell et al, 2021).…”

Section: Overriding Influences Of Ecosystem Type and Time Period On The Sensitivity Of Consumers To Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Declines in rodent abundance and diversity track regional climate variability in North American drylands

Cárdenas

Christensen

Ernest

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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Regional long‐term monitoring can enhance the detection of biodiversity declines associated with climate change, improving future projections by reducing reliance on space‐for‐time substitution and increasing scalability. Rodents are diverse and important consumers in drylands, regions defined by the scarcity of water that cover 45% of Earth's land surface and face increasingly drier and more variable climates. We analyzed abundance data for 22 rodent species across grassland, shrubland, ecotone, and woodland ecosystems in the southwestern USA. Two time series (1995–2006 and 2004–2013) coincided with phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which influences drought in southwestern North America. Regionally, rodent species diversity declined 20%–35%, with greater losses during the later time period. Abundance also declined regionally, but only during 2004–2013, with losses of 5% of animals captured. During the first time series (wetter climate), plant productivity outranked climate variables as the best regional predictor of rodent abundance for 70% of taxa, whereas during the second period (drier climate), climate best explained variation in abundance for 60% of taxa. Temporal dynamics in diversity and abundance differed spatially among ecosystems, with the largest declines in woodlands and shrublands of central New Mexico and Colorado. Which species were winners or losers under increasing drought and amplified interannual variability in drought depended on ecosystem type and the phase of the PDO. Fewer taxa were significant winners (18%) than losers (30%) under drought, but the identities of winners and losers differed among ecosystems for 70% of taxa. Our results suggest that the sensitivities of rodent species to climate contributed to regional declines in diversity and abundance during 1995–2013. Whether these changes portend future declines in drought‐sensitive consumers in the southwestern USA will depend on the climate during the next major PDO cycle.

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“…Understanding the physiological mechanisms that species use to maintain water balance is becoming more relevant as increases in temperature and drought frequency represent significant ecological shifts that are affecting the behavior, distribution, and abundance of animals ( McCarty, 2001 ; Albright et al, 2010 ; Şekercioğlu et al, 2012 ; IPCC, 2013 ; Remeš and Harmáčková, 2018 ). Because of their diurnal habits and high mass-specific metabolic rates, birds are particularly susceptible to increases in temperature and aridity ( Riddell et al, 2021 ), so better understanding the environmental factors that influence their water balance is an important topic of research. Recent studies highlight that warm temperatures and reduced availability of fresh water impact key aspects of avian physiology, such as energy expenditure, body mass, thermal tolerance/conductance, and evaporative water loss ( Carmi et al, 1993 ; Sabat et al, 2006a , 2009 ; Barceló et al, 2009 ; Gerson and Guglielmo, 2011 ; Smith et al, 2017 ; McWhorter et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Triple Oxygen Isotope Measurements (Δ'17O) of Body Water Reflect Water Intake, Metabolism, and δ18O of Ingested Water in Passerines

et al. 2021

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Understanding physiological traits and ecological conditions that influence a species reliance on metabolic water is critical to creating accurate physiological models that can assess their ability to adapt to environmental perturbations (e.g., drought) that impact water availability. However, relatively few studies have examined variation in the sources of water animals use to maintain water balance, and even fewer have focused on the role of metabolic water. A key reason is methodological limitations. Here, we applied a new method that measures the triple oxygen isotopic composition of a single blood sample to estimate the contribution of metabolic water to the body water pool of three passerine species. This approach relies on Δ'17O, defined as the residual from the tight linear correlation that naturally exists between δ17O and δ18O values. Importantly, Δ'17O is relatively insensitive to key fractionation processes, such as Rayleigh distillation in the water cycle that have hindered previous isotope-based assessments of animal water balance. We evaluated the effects of changes in metabolic rate and water intake on Δ'17O values of captive rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) and two invertivorous passerine species in the genus Cinclodes from the field. As predicted, colder acclimation temperatures induced increases in metabolic rate, decreases in water intake, and increases in the contribution of metabolic water to the body water pool of Z. capensis, causing a consistent change in Δ'17O. Measurement of Δ'17O also provides an estimate of the δ18O composition of ingested pre-formed (drinking/food) water. Estimated δ18O values of drinking/food water for captive Z. capensis were ~ −11‰, which is consistent with that of tap water in Santiago, Chile. In contrast, δ18O values of drinking/food water ingested by wild-caught Cinclodes were similar to that of seawater, which is consistent with their reliance on marine resources. Our results confirm the utility of this method for quantifying the relative contribution of metabolic versus pre-formed drinking/food water to the body water pool in birds.

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Exposure to climate change drives stability or collapse of desert mammal and bird communities

Cited by 140 publications

References 84 publications

Disentangling environmental drivers of circadian metabolism in desert-adapted mice

Disentangling environmental drivers of circadian metabolism in desert-adapted mice

Declines in rodent abundance and diversity track regional climate variability in North American drylands

Triple Oxygen Isotope Measurements (Δ'17O) of Body Water Reflect Water Intake, Metabolism, and δ18O of Ingested Water in Passerines

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