Higher temperature variability in deforested mountain regions impacts the competitive advantage of nocturnal species

Chan, Shih-Fan; Rubenstein, Dustin R.; Chen, I-Ching; Fan, Yu-Meng; Tsai, Hsiang-Yu; Zheng, Yan; Shen, Sheng‐Feng

doi:10.1098/rspb.2023.0529

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…As described above, the available habitat area for organisms in mountain regions is influenced by the shape of the mountain, and many mountains exhibit a reduction in area with increasing elevation. This, combined with biotic interactions such as interspecific competition 29 , 30 , might collectively limit the ability of mountain species to track isotherm shifts in the future. Mountains that we identified as facing high risks under climate change are particularly threatened by biotic attrition 17 , biotic homogenization 31 , population extirpation 32 – 34 and changing ecosystem properties 35 .…”

Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions

Chan,

Lenoir,

Mai

et al. 2024

Nature

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Mountain ranges contain high concentrations of endemic species and are indispensable refugia for lowland species that are facing anthropogenic climate change1,2. Forecasting biodiversity redistribution hinges on assessing whether species can track shifting isotherms as the climate warms3,4. However, a global analysis of the velocities of isotherm shifts along elevation gradients is hindered by the scarcity of weather stations in mountainous regions5. Here we address this issue by mapping the lapse rate of temperature (LRT) across mountain regions globally, both by using satellite data (SLRT) and by using the laws of thermodynamics to account for water vapour6 (that is, the moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALRT)). By dividing the rate of surface warming from 1971 to 2020 by either the SLRT or the MALRT, we provide maps of vertical isotherm shift velocities. We identify 17 mountain regions with exceptionally high vertical isotherm shift velocities (greater than 11.67 m per year for the SLRT; greater than 8.25 m per year for the MALRT), predominantly in dry areas but also in wet regions with shallow lapse rates; for example, northern Sumatra, the Brazilian highlands and southern Africa. By linking these velocities to the velocities of species range shifts, we report instances of close tracking in mountains with lower climate velocities. However, many species lag behind, suggesting that range shift dynamics would persist even if we managed to curb climate-change trajectories. Our findings are key for devising global conservation strategies, particularly in the 17 high-velocity mountain regions that we have identified.

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Section: Mainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions

Chan,

Lenoir,

Mai

et al. 2024

Nature

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Revisiting the ecology and evolution of burying beetle behavior (Staphylinidae: Silphinae)

Potticary,

Belk,

Creighton

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Investigating fundamental processes in biology requires the ability to ground broad questions in species‐specific natural history. This is particularly true in the study of behavior because an organism's experience of the environment will influence the expression of behavior and the opportunity for selection. Here, we provide a review of the natural history and behavior of burying beetles of the genus Nicrophorus to provide the groundwork for comparative work that showcases their remarkable behavioral and ecological diversity. Burying beetles have long fascinated scientists because of their well‐developed parenting behavior, exhibiting extended post‐hatching care of offspring that varies extensively within and across taxa. Despite the burgeoning success of burying beetles as a model system for the study of behavioral evolution, there has not been a review of their behavior, ecology, and evolution in over 25 years. To address this gap, we leverage a developing community of researchers who have contributed to a detailed knowledge of burying beetles to highlight the utility of Nicrophorus for investigating the causes and consequences of social and behavioral evolution.

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Land‐use changes influence climate resilience through altered population demography in a social insect

Chan,

Rubenstein,

Wang

et al. 2024

Ecological Monographs

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Biodiversity is threatened by both climate and land‐use change. However, the synergistic impacts of these stressors and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study seeks to bridge this knowledge gap by testing two competing hypotheses regarding the concept of the realized thermal niche. The Fixed Niche Breadth hypothesis suggests that a species' thermal niche remains constant despite fluctuations in population density resulting from land‐use changes. This hypothesis links habitat loss directly to a reduced availability of suitable climate. Conversely, the Habitat Loss‐Allee Effect hypothesis posits that land‐use changes narrow the realized thermal niche by lowering population densities, which impairs individual fitness in unfavorable temperatures due to the Allee effect—the positive impact of higher population density on individual fitness. To investigate these hypotheses, we developed an individual‐based model that integrates the Allee effect to examine how climate and land‐use changes affect population density and the thermal niche in social organisms. We empirically tested our model predictions by studying the distribution and cooperative behavior of burying beetles (Nicrophorus nepalensis), which compete with blowflies for carrion resources, along two elevational gradients in Taiwan. These gradients serve as temperature gradients, one in an intact forest and the other in a human‐altered landscape with substantial forest loss. Our results support the model predictions and show that landscape forest loss reduces beetle population densities and disrupts their dispersal dynamics, resulting in smaller cooperative groups. This, in turn, limits the beetles' ability to compete with blowflies in warmer environments, resulting in a contraction of the realized thermal niche. Together, our findings support the Habitat Loss‐Allee Effect hypothesis while rejecting the Fixed Niche Breadth hypothesis. By highlighting the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on both intra‐ and interspecific social interactions, our study improves understanding of species' vulnerability to the combined threats of climate and land‐use change. Ultimately, our results underscore the importance of considering the demographic and behavioral consequences of land‐use change when assessing species' vulnerability to climate‐land‐use synergies.

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Higher temperature variability in deforested mountain regions impacts the competitive advantage of nocturnal species

Cited by 5 publications

References 63 publications

Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions

Climate velocities and species tracking in global mountain regions

Revisiting the ecology and evolution of burying beetle behavior (Staphylinidae: Silphinae)

Land‐use changes influence climate resilience through altered population demography in a social insect

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