Vulnerability to global warming of a Critically Endangered lizard from the Monte Desert, Patagonia Argentina

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Victoria Brizio ◽  
Facundo Cabezas-Cartes ◽  
Jimena Beatriz Fernández ◽  
Rodrigo Gómez Alés ◽  
Luciano Javier Avila
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Sun Exposure ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

Reptiles’ body temperature is strongly influenced by the thermal quality of microhabitats, exploiting the favourable environmental temperatures, and avoiding exposure to extreme thermal conditions. For these reasons, reptiles’ populations are considered to be especially vulnerable to changes in environmental temperatures produced by climate change. Here, we study the thermal physiology of the Critically Endangered lizard Liolaemus cuyumhue Avila, Morando, Perez and Sites, 2009. We hypothesise that, (1) there is a thermal coadaptation between optimal temperature for locomotor performance of L. cuyumhue and its thermal preference; (2) L. cuyumhue lives in an environment with low thermal quality; (3) a raise in environmental temperatures due to global warming will impose a decrement in locomotor speed represented by lower warming tolerance and narrower thermal safety margins, increasing their already high vulnerability. We registered field body temperatures (Tb), preferred body temperatures (Tpref), the operative (Te), and the thermal sensitivity of locomotion at different body temperatures. Our results indicate that this lizard is not currently under environmental stress or exceeding its thermal limits, but that it is thermorregulating below Tpref to avoid overheating, and that an increase in environmental temperature higher than 3.5 °C will strongly affect the use of microhabitats with direct sun exposure.

Thermal sensitivity of performance of Phymaturus palluma (Liolaemidae) in the highlands of Aconcagua: vulnerability to global warming in the Andes

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Vicenzi ◽  
Erika Kubisch ◽  
Nora Ibargüengoytía ◽  
Valeria Corbalán
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Safety Margin ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Thermal Safety ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Operative Temperatures

Abstract Ectotherms are especially vulnerable to climate change due to their dependence on environmental thermal conditions to obtain adequate body temperatures for physiological performance. An approach to predict the impact of global warming in ectotherms is quantifying their locomotor sensitivities to temperature across the thermal performance curves (TPCs) owing to the crucial role running plays on most of their activities, like dispersion, reproduction, and foraging. Here, we have examined the relationship between body temperature (Tb) and locomotor performance in juveniles and adults of the high-mountain lizard Phymaturus palluma. We have determined the speed in long (LR) and sprint runs (SR) at five different body temperatures, and their relationship with morphological traits. In addition, we have measured the operative temperatures in the microenvironments used by P. palluma to evaluate their vulnerability to global warming. For this, we have estimated the thermal safety margin and warming tolerance. Phymaturus palluma showed a left-skewed TPCs for LR and SR. The optimal temperature (To) matched the set point of preferred temperatures and the performance breadth was correlated with the variance in Tb registered in the field, as the thermal coadaptation hypothesis predicts. The rising temperatures projected by the study site could represent a threat for the species, because currently P. palluma experiences operative temperatures that include their performance breadth and To. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the species currently exhibit negative thermal safety margins, thus an increase in ambient temperatures will reduce the amount of time in which lizards could achieve an optimal performance.

scholarly journals Global Warming Will Bring New Fungal Diseases for Mammals

mBio ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica A. Garcia-Solache ◽  
Arturo Casadevall
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Fungal Diseases ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Environmental Temperatures ◽  
Major Pathogens

ABSTRACTFungi are major pathogens of plants, other fungi, rotifers, insects, and amphibians, but relatively few cause disease in mammals. Fungi became important human pathogens only in the late 20th century, primarily in hosts with impaired immunity as a consequence of medical interventions or HIV infection. The relatively high resistance of mammals has been attributed to a combination of a complex immune system and endothermy. Mammals maintain high body temperatures relative to environmental temperatures, creating a thermally restrictive ambient for the majority of fungi. According to this view, protection given by endothermy requires a temperature gradient between those of mammals and the environment. We hypothesize that global warming will increase the prevalence of fungal diseases in mammals by two mechanisms: (i) increasing the geographic range of currently pathogenic species and (ii) selecting for adaptive thermotolerance for species with significant pathogenic potential but currently not pathogenic by virtue of being restricted by mammalian temperatures.

scholarly journals Potential benefits from global warming to the thermal biology and locomotor performance of an endangered Patagonian lizard

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Facundo Cabezas-Cartes ◽  
Jimena B. Fernández ◽  
Fernando Duran ◽  
Erika L. Kubisch
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Locomotor Performance ◽  
Thermal Physiology ◽  
Thermal Biology ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Preferred Temperatures ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

Global warming can significantly affect many aspects of the biology of animal species, including their thermal physiology and physiological performance. Thermal performance curves provide a heuristic model to evaluate the impacts of temperature on the ecophysiology of ectotherms. When integrated with other thermal biology parameters, they can be used to predict the impacts of climate change on individual fitness and population viability. In this study, we combine holistic measures of thermal physiology and the thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance with environmental temperatures measured at fine scale to estimate the vulnerability to global warming of the endangered Patagonian lizard Phymaturus tenebrosus. Our results indicate that this lizard exhibits its preferred temperatures and maximum locomotor performance at higher temperatures than the mean temperature it currently experiences in its habitat. In addition, it exhibits a low effectiveness of thermoregulation, being a poor thermoregulator. In view of the results obtained, we suggest that the climatic conditions of Patagonia may be advantageous for P. tenebrosus to survive future global warming, since its thermal physiology and locomotor performance may improve under increasing in environmental temperatures in its habitat.

scholarly journals First Speleomycological Study on the Occurrence of Psychrophilic and Psychrotolerant Aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave (Western Tatras Mts., Slovakia) and First Reports for Some Species at Underground Sites

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 497
Author(s):  
Rafał Ogórek ◽  
Mateusz Speruda ◽  
Justyna Borzęcka ◽  
Agata Piecuch ◽  
Magdalena Cal
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Biological Material ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Airborne Fungi ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Cold Adapted ◽  
First Report

Most underground ecosystems are heterotrophic, fungi in these objects are dispersed in the air in the form of spores, and they may be potentially hazardous to mammals. Research in underground sites has focused on mesophilic airborne fungi and only a few concerned cold-adapted species. Therefore, the goal of our research was the first report of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave using culture-based techniques with genetic and phenotypic identification. Plates with PDA medium containing sampled biological material were incubated at 8 ± 0.5 °C. The density of mycobiota inside the cave ranged from 37.4 to 71 CFU 1 m−3 of air and 63.3 CFU 1 m−3 of air outside the cave. Thus, the level of fungal spores did not exceed the standards for the mycological quality of the air. A total of 18 species were isolated during the study, and some species may be potentially dangerous to people with weakened immune system. All fungal species were present inside the cave and only seven of them were outside. Cladosporium cladosporioides dominated in the external air samples and Mortierella parvispora was cultured most frequently from internal air samples. To our knowledge, this is the first discovery of the fungal species such as Coniothyrium pyrinum, Cystobasidium laryngis, Filobasidium wieringae, Leucosporidium drummii, M. parvispora, Mrakia blollopis, Nakazawaea holstii, and Vishniacozyma victoriae in the air inside the underground sites. Moreover, C. pyrinum, C. laryngis, L. drummii, M. blollopis, and N. holstii have never been detected in any component of the underground ecosystems. There are possible reasons explaining the detection of those species, but global warming is the most likely.

scholarly journals Thermal Comfort and Sleep Quality of Indonesian Students Living in Japan during Summer and Winter

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 326
Author(s):  
Wiwik Budiawan ◽  
Kazuyo Tsuzuki
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Subjective Sleepiness ◽  
Adaptive Action ◽  
Quality Sleep ◽  
Sleep Parameters

Thermal comfort is crucial in satisfaction and maintaining quality sleep for occupants. In this study, we investigated the comfort temperature in the bedroom at night and sleep quality for Indonesian students during summer and winter. Eighteen male Indonesian students aged 29 ± 4 years participated in this study. The participants had stayed in Japan for about six months. We evaluated the sleep parameters using actigraphy performed during summer and winter. All participants completed the survey regarding thermal sensation, physical conditions, and subjective sleepiness before sleep. The temperature and relative humidity of participants’ bedrooms were also measured. We found that the duration on the bed during winter was significantly longer than that during summer. However, sleeping efficiency during winter was significantly worse than that during summer. The bedroom temperature of the participants was in the range of comfort temperature in Indonesia. With the average bedroom air temperature of 22.2 °C, most of the participants still preferred “warm” and felt “slightly comfortable” during winter. The average comfort temperature each season calculated using the Griffiths method was 28.1 °C during summer and 23.5 °C during winter. In conclusion, differences in adaptive action affect bedroom thermal conditions. Furthermore, habits encourage the sleep performance of Indonesian students.

Is Google scholar really scholarly?

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayaz Ahmad Loan ◽  
Shueb Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Impact Factor ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Child Labour ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
H Index ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
Good Number

Purpose This paper aims to identify the scholarly nature of the results retrieved by the Google Scholar on the five major global problems, i.e. global warming, economic recession, terrorism, HIV AIDS and child labour. Design/methodology/approach The five terms (global warming, economic recession, terrorism, HIV AIDS and child labour) were searched into the Google Scholar database, and the first 50 retrieved hits were manually analysed to record the relevant bibliographic details. The scholarship of the results was measured by quality indices like h-index, Altmetrics and Journal Impact Factor. The Scopus – the world’s biggest abstract and citation database – was used to identify the h-index of the prolific authors, citations of articles and impact factor of journals. Findings The study reveals that Google Scholar retrieves a good number of publications on the selected global problems from reputed publishers such as Nature Publishing Group, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Blackwell and Sage and published from well-developed countries such as the USA, UK and Switzerland. Google Scholar mostly retrieves articles and research papers from qualitative journals having a good impact factor such as Nature, Science, The Lancet, American Journal of Public Health, The Economic Journal, Social Science and Medicine and Annals of Tourism Research. These articles and books are contributed by the reputed authors having high h-index. The journal articles and books retrieved have also a good number of citations, although such results are limited. The results prove that Google Scholar is scholarly in nature to a great extent. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to Google Scholar only and cannot be generalized for the rest of the search tools or databases. Further, the study included only five major global problems in the study, and thus, results cannot be applicable to other areas of knowledge. Practical implications The study is a checklist to know the retrieval performance of Google Scholar in terms of quality of content. Originality/value It is the first study of its kind that takes into account the nature of content on major global problems retrieved by the Google Scholar. It is also the first study that used bibliometric analysis to evaluate the quality of results retrieved.

Association between quality of life and sun exposure behaviour in patients treated for cutaneous malignant melanoma

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luise Winkel Idorn ◽  
Pameli Datta ◽  
Jakob Heydenreich ◽  
Peter Alshede Philipsen ◽  
Hans Christian Olsen Wulf
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Malignant Melanoma ◽  
Sun Exposure ◽  
Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Thermoregulation in a saxicolous population of the lizard Urosaurus ornatus from the northern Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Hector Gadsden ◽  
Rafael A. Lara-Reséndiz ◽  
Nallely F. Minjarrez-Flores ◽  
Ana Gatica-Colima ◽  
Geoffrey R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Urosaurus Ornatus ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Mountain System ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

Abstract Environmental temperatures often regulate the activity and physiological processes of ectotherms. Because environmental temperatures can vary significantly among seasons, lizards exposed to different thermal conditions in different months could differ in how they thermoregulate or behave. Here, we present a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling approaches to examine thermoregulation, habitat thermal quality, and hours of thermal restriction on activity in a saxicolous population of Urosaurus ornatus in two thermally contrasting months (June and October) in a micro-insular mountain system in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. Both active and preferred body temperatures did not vary between months. In this population, U. ornatus is an active thermoregulator with highly accurate and efficient thermoregulation despite the thermal quality in both months. However, during the breeding season (June) activity is restricted (i.e., high number of hours of restriction) compared to the non-breeding season (October). Therefore, our results suggest that this saxicolous population of U. ornatus could be threatened by global climate change and it is essential to determine a conservation strategy for this population.

scholarly journals Climate Preferences for Tourism: Perceptions Regarding Ideal and Unfavourable Conditions for Hiking in Spain

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Martínez-Ibarra ◽  
María Gómez-Martín ◽  
Xosé Armesto-López ◽  
Rubén Pardo-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Time ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
Tourism Climatology ◽  
The Aesthetic

Physical activity is an increasingly frequent part of our leisure time. Within this context, hiking is a popular form of tourism which has a positive impact on the quality of life. In spite of the importance of climate conditions for this recreational activity, relatively little research has been done on hiking from the perspective of climate and tourism. With this in mind in this paper we make the first detailed extensive assessment of climate preferences for the practice of hiking tourism in Spain. To this end a review of the theoretical/methodological body of literature on tourism climatology was conducted together with a survey aimed at evaluating the stated climate preferences of hiking tourists. The results are offered within the framework of international research on climate preferences for a range of tourism activities. The comparative analysis of these results with regard to those obtained in previous research highlights various similarities but also certain factors specific to hiking in Spain. Overall, the climate preferences of hiking tourists are similar to those of other segments of the tourism market in terms of the aesthetic and physical aspects of the climate, although they also have certain specific preferences as regards thermal aspects, especially regarding the optimal daily thermal conditions for hiking. The results obtained are useful for assessing the suitability of the climate for the practice of hiking tourism in Spain and for promoting proper management and planning of this leisure activity in tourist destinations, including the development of climate calendars detailing the most suitable times of the year for hiking at these destinations. These issues will be addressed in future research studies.

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