Thermal physiology and species distribution models reveal climate vulnerability of temperate amphibians

Gerick, Alyssa A.; Munshaw, Robin G.; Palen, Wendy J.; Combes, Stacey A.; O’Regan, Sacha M.

doi:10.1111/jbi.12261

Cited by 45 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Nevertheless, biotic factors might keep species absent from environmentally suitable areas (reviewed in Wisz et al 2013), and these are ignored by correlation analyses. Among these factors are included, for instance, competitive interactions between ecologically similar species (Begon et al 2006;Žagar et al 2015) and thermal physiology (e.g., Gerick et al 2014). The present ecophysiological study, which was performed in an evolutionary context, Figure 5.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecophysiology Tracks Phylogeny and Meets Ecological Models in an Iberian Gecko

Rato

Carretero²

2015

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Because fitness of ectotherms, including reptiles, is highly dependent on temperature and water availability, the study of ecophysiological traits, such as preferred temperature (T p) and water loss rates (WLRs), may provide mechanistic evidence on the restricting factors to the species ranges. The Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, is a species complex with a circum-Mediterranean distribution. In the Iberian Peninsula, two sister parapatric forms of the complex, known as the Iberian and the European clades, are found. Ecological models previously performed using presence records and bioclimatic variables suggest niche divergence between both lineages correlated with precipitation rather than with temperature. In this study, we test this correlative hypothesis using ecophysiological evidence. In the laboratory, we analyzed the T p and WLRs for 84 adult males from seven distinct populations ascribed to one of the two lineages present in Iberia. Specifically, we evaluated the existence of trait conservatism versus adaptation among populations, lineages, or both. In addition, we tested for a trade-off between water and thermal traits and assessed whether climate regime of sampling localities had any influence on the ecophysiological patterns found. We found that T p is quite conserved at both the population and lineage levels and independent from body size. In contrast, water loss experiments revealed some variation among populations, but the regression analysis failed to detect correlation between T p and WLR at any level. Overall, the European lineage displayed a trend for higher water loss and was more diverse among populations when compared with the Iberian lineage. The lack of correspondence between ecophysiological traits and local climatic conditions favors phylogenetic signal versus adaptation. This suggests divergent evolutionary responses to the environment, mainly acting on water ecology, in both lineages, which may account for the differences in their range expansion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecophysiology Tracks Phylogeny and Meets Ecological Models in an Iberian Gecko

Rato

Carretero²

2015

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…() focused on air temperature records between 10 : 00 and 14 : 00 in the summer season, whereas Gerick et al . () used maximum summer air temperatures to measure thermal safety margins.…”

Section: Fragmentation‐temperature Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for integrating thermal biology into fragmentation research

2016

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Habitat fragmentation changes thermal conditions in remnant patches, and thermal conditions strongly influence organism morphology, distribution, and activity patterns. However, few studies explore temperature as a mechanism driving ecological responses to fragmentation. Here we offer a conceptual framework that integrates thermal biology into fragmentation research to better understand individual, species, community, and ecosystem‐level responses to fragmentation. Specifically, the framework addresses how fragmentation changes temperature and how the effects of those temperature changes spread through the ecosystem, from organism response via thermal sensitivity, to changes in species distribution and activity patterns, to shifts in community structure following species' responses, and ultimately to changes in ecosystem functions. We place a strong emphasis on future research directions by outlining “Critical gaps” for each step of the framework. Empirical efforts to apply and test this framework promise new understanding of fragmentation's ecological consequences and new strategies for conservation in an increasingly fragmented and warmer world.

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“…Higher water temperatures and shallower wetlands also increase the risk of mortality, and initial benefits of warming may turn into costs if thermal optima are exceeded (Duarte et al . 2012; Gerick et al . 2014).…”

Section: Vulnerability Of Montane Wetland Species To the Combined Effmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amphibians in the climate vise: loss and restoration of resilience of montane wetland ecosystems in the western US

Ryan

Palen

Adams

et al. 2014

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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Wetlands in the remote mountains of the western US have undergone two massive ecological “experiments” spanning the 20th century. Beginning in the late 1800s and expanding after World War II, fish and wildlife managers intentionally introduced millions of predatory trout (primarily Oncorhynchus spp) into fishless mountain ponds and lakes across the western states. These new top predators, which now occupy 95% of large mountain lakes, have limited the habitat distributions of native frogs, salamanders, and wetland invertebrates to smaller, more ephemeral ponds where trout do not survive. Now a second “experiment” – anthropogenic climate change – threatens to eliminate many of these ephemeral habitats and shorten wetland hydroperiods. Caught between climate‐induced habitat loss and predation from introduced fish, native mountain lake fauna of the western US – especially amphibians – are at risk of extirpation. Targeted fish removals, guided by models of how wetlands will change under future climate scenarios, provide innovative strategies for restoring resilience of wetland ecosystems to climate change.

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Thermal physiology and species distribution models reveal climate vulnerability of temperate amphibians

Cited by 45 publications

References 52 publications

Ecophysiology Tracks Phylogeny and Meets Ecological Models in an Iberian Gecko

Ecophysiology Tracks Phylogeny and Meets Ecological Models in an Iberian Gecko

A framework for integrating thermal biology into fragmentation research

Amphibians in the climate vise: loss and restoration of resilience of montane wetland ecosystems in the western US

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