The impacts of heat stress on animal cognition: Implications for adaptation to a changing climate

Abstract

With global surface air temperature rising rapidly, extensive research effort has been dedicated to assessing the consequences of this change for wildlife. While impacts on the phenology, distribution, and demography of wild animal populations are well documented, the impact of increasing temperature on cognition in these populations has received relatively little attention. Cognition encompasses the mental mechanisms that allow individuals to process information from the surrounding environment, respond accordingly, and flexibly adjust behavior. Hence, it is likely to be a key factor in allowing animals to adjust adaptively to climate change. Captive studies show that heat stress can negatively affect cognitive performance not only in the short‐term but also in the long‐term, by altering cognitive development at early life stages. Field studies indicate that cognitive performance may affect survival and reproductive success. However, the link between heat stress, cognition, and fitness in wild animals has yet to be formally established. We propose a comprehensive research framework for the collection of robust empirical datasets on heat stress and cognitive performance in the wild. We then suggest how knowledge of heat stress impacts on cognitive performance could be applied to population viability models and wildlife management actions. We believe that a joint research effort encompassing the fields of thermal physiology, behavioral ecology, comparative cognition, and conservation science, is essential to provide timely mitigation measures against the potential impacts of climate change on wildlife. This article is categorized under: Climate, Ecology, and Conservation > Observed Ecological Changes

Short‐term exposure to heatwave‐like temperatures affects learning and memory in bumblebees

“…Indeed, at 32°C, bumblebees did not extend their proboscis significantly more to the CS+ than to the CS− or the neutral mechanosensory stimulus, suggesting that all memory of the positive reward was lost. Our findings are consistent with studies in humans, mice, goldfish, nematodes and fruit flies, which also indicate that heat‐stress impairs learning and memory (reviewed in Soravia et al, 2021).…”

“…While the impact of global warming on animals is becoming the focus of an increasing body of research, very little is known about how temperature affects cognition, particularly in invertebrates (Soravia et al, 2021). Here, we provide the first evidence that elevated ambient temperatures severely impact the learning and memory abilities of an important insect pollinator group, bumblebees.…”

“…High ambient temperatures are known to affect cognition in several vertebrate species but their effect on invertebrates that, unlike vertebrates, cannot tightly regulate their brain temperature, remains mostly unknown (Soravia et al, 2021). When experiencing high ambient temperatures, mice, rats, and zebra finches have impaired associative learning and memory abilities (Danner et al, 2021; Erfani et al, 2019), and similar effects have been observed in fruit flies (Zhang et al, 2008).…”

Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Thermal Stress Response: Gallus gallus domesticus Show Low Immune Responses During Heat Stress

“…Heat stress occurs at the temperature at which an animal cannot dissipate its entire body temperature to the surrounding environment (Sejian et al, 2018). It has been reported that heat stress plays a negative role in animal welfare and animal production, especially in broilers (Soravia et al, 2021). During heat stress, energy metabolism is reduced, leading to poor organ development and decreased mass gain (Fausnacht et al, 2021).…”

Operant conditioning in antlion larvae and its impairment following exposure to elevated temperatures

“…The mechanisms by which thermal stress affects neural development and cognitive processes, such as learning in animals, are still not well understood (Buchanan et al 2013 ). Its effect is nevertheless important regardless of the mechanism and there is still little known about how thermal stress affects animal cognition (Soravia et al 2021 ).…”