scholarly journals Thermal Performance Curves of Multiple Isolates of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a Lethal Pathogen of Amphibians

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara N. Sheets ◽  
Deena R. Schmidt ◽  
Paul J. Hurtado ◽  
Allison Q. Byrne ◽  
Erica Bree Rosenblum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Genetic Lineage ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

Emerging infectious disease is a key factor in the loss of amphibian diversity. In particular, the disease chytridiomycosis has caused severe declines around the world. The lethal fungal pathogen that causes chytridiomycosis, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has affected amphibians in many different environments. One primary question for researchers grappling with disease-induced losses of amphibian biodiversity is what abiotic factors drive Bd pathogenicity in different environments. To study environmental influences on Bd pathogenicity, we quantified responses of Bd phenotypic traits (e.g., viability, zoospore densities, growth rates, and carrying capacities) over a range of environmental temperatures to generate thermal performance curves. We selected multiple Bd isolates that belong to a single genetic lineage but that were collected across a latitudinal gradient. For the population viability, we found that the isolates had similar thermal optima at 21°C, but there was considerable variation among the isolates in maximum viability at that temperature. Additionally, we found the densities of infectious zoospores varied among isolates across all temperatures. Our results suggest that temperatures across geographic point of origin (latitude) may explain some of the variation in Bd viability through vertical shifts in maximal performance. However, the same pattern was not evident for other reproductive parameters (zoospore densities, growth rates, fecundity), underscoring the importance of measuring multiple traits to understand variation in pathogen responses to environmental conditions. We suggest that variation among Bd genetic variants due to environmental factors may be an important determinant of disease dynamics for amphibians across a range of diverse environments.

scholarly journals Antagonistic effects of intraspecific cooperation and interspecific competition on thermal performance

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiang-Yu Tsai ◽  
Dustin R Rubenstein ◽  
Bo-Fei Chen ◽  
Mark Liu ◽  
Shih-Fan Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Niche Width ◽  
Burying Beetle ◽  
Thermal Niche ◽  
Thermal Performance Curve ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Relationship

Understanding how climate-mediated biotic interactions shape thermal niche width is critical in an era of global change. Yet, most previous work on thermal niches has ignored detailed mechanistic information about the relationship between temperature and organismal performance, which can be described by a thermal performance curve. Here, we develop a model that predicts the width of thermal performance curves will be narrower in the presence of interspecific competitors, causing a species’ optimal breeding temperature to diverge from that of its competitor. We test this prediction in the Asian burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis, confirming that the divergence in actual and optimal breeding temperatures is the result of competition with their primary competitor, blowflies. However, we further show that intraspecific cooperation enables beetles to outcompete blowflies by recovering their optimal breeding temperature. Ultimately, linking abiotic factors and biotic interactions on niche width will be critical for understanding species-specific responses to climate change.

scholarly journals Do endotherms have thermal performance curves?

2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (3) ◽  
pp. jeb141309
Author(s):  
Danielle L. Levesque ◽  
Katie E. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Evaporative Heat Loss ◽  
External Temperature ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Interspecific Comparisons ◽  
Measure Of Performance ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

ABSTRACTTemperature is an important environmental factor governing the ability of organisms to grow, survive and reproduce. Thermal performance curves (TPCs), with some caveats, are useful for charting the relationship between body temperature and some measure of performance in ectotherms, and provide a standardized set of characteristics for interspecific comparisons. Endotherms, however, have a more complicated relationship with environmental temperature, as endothermy leads to a decoupling of body temperature from external temperature through use of metabolic heat production, large changes in insulation and variable rates of evaporative heat loss. This has impeded our ability to model endothermic performance in relation to environmental temperature as well as to readily compare performance between species. In this Commentary, we compare the strengths and weaknesses of potential TPC analogues (including other useful proxies for linking performance to temperature) in endotherms and suggest several ways forward in the comparative ecophysiology of endotherms. Our goal is to provide a common language with which ecologists and physiologists can evaluate the effects of temperature on performance. Key directions for improving our understanding of endotherm thermoregulatory physiology include a comparative approach to the study of the level and precision of body temperature, measuring performance directly over a range of body temperatures and building comprehensive mechanistic models of endotherm responses to environmental temperatures. We believe the answer to the question posed in the title could be ‘yes’, but only if ‘performance’ is well defined and understood in relation to body temperature variation, and the costs and benefits of endothermy are specifically modelled.

scholarly journals Antagonistic Effects of Intraspecific Cooperation and Interspecific Competition on Thermal Performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiang-Yu Tsai ◽  
Dustin R. Rubenstein ◽  
Bo-Fei Chen ◽  
Mark Liu ◽  
Shih-Fan Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Niche Width ◽  
Burying Beetle ◽  
Thermal Niche ◽  
Thermal Performance Curve ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractUnderstanding how climate-mediated biotic interactions shape thermal niche width is critical in an era of global change. Yet, most previous work on thermal niches has ignored detailed mechanistic information about the relationship between temperature and organismal performance, which can be described by a thermal performance curve. Here, we develop a model that predicts the width of thermal performance curves will be narrower in the presence of interspecific competitors, causing a species’ optimal breeding temperature to diverge from that of a competitor. We test this prediction in the Asian burying beetle Nicrophorus nepalensis, confirming that the divergence in actual and optimal breeding temperatures is the result of competition with blowflies. However, we further show that intraspecific cooperation enables beetles to outcompete blowflies by recovering their optimal breeding temperature. Ultimately, linking direct (abiotic factors) and indirect effects (biotic interactions) on niche width will be critical for understanding species-specific responses to climate change.

scholarly journals Thermal performance curves for aerobic scope in a tropical fish (Lates calcarifer): flexible in amplitude but not breadth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Scheuffele ◽  
Francesc Rubio-Gracia ◽  
Timothy D. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Daily Temperature ◽  
Tropical Fish ◽  
Metabolic Phenotype ◽  
Performance Curve ◽  
Aerobic Scope ◽  
Lates Calcarifer ◽  
Thermal Performance Curve ◽  
Performance Curves

Aerobic metabolic scope is a popular metric to estimate the capacity for temperature-dependent performance in aquatic animals. Despite this popularity, little is known of the role of temperature acclimation and variability in shaping the breadth and amplitude of the thermal performance curve for aerobic scope. If daily thermal experience can modify the characteristics of the thermal performance curve, interpretations of aerobic scope data from the literature may be misguided. Here, tropical barramundi (Lates calcarifer) were acclimated for ∼4 months to cold (23℃), optimal (29℃) or warm (35℃) conditions, or to a daily temperature cycle between 23 and 35℃ (with a mean of 29℃). Measurements of aerobic scope were conducted every 3-4 weeks at three temperatures (23℃, 29℃ and 35℃), and growth rates were monitored. Acclimation to constant temperatures caused some changes in aerobic scope at the three measurement temperatures via adjustments in standard and maximal metabolic rates, and growth rates were lower in the 23℃-acclimated group compared with all other groups. The metabolic parameters and growth rates of the thermally variable group remained similar to those of the 29℃-acclimated group. Thus, acclimation to a variable temperature regime did not broaden the thermal performance curve for aerobic scope. We propose that aerobic scope thermal performance curves are more plastic in amplitude rather than breadth, and that the metabolic phenotype of at least some fish may be more dependent on the mean daily temperature rather than on the daily temperature range.

scholarly journals Recent Advancements in Technical Design and Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Greenhouse Dryers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7025
Author(s):  
Shiva Gorjian ◽  
Behnam Hosseingholilou ◽  
Laxmikant D. Jathar ◽  
Haniyeh Samadi ◽  
Samiran Samanta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Hybrid Configuration ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits

The food industry is responsible for supplying the food demand of the ever-increasing global population. The food chain is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global food waste accounts for one-third of produced food. A solution to this problem is preserving crops, vegetables, and fruits with the help of an ancient method of sun drying. For drying agricultural and marine products, several types of dryers are also being developed. However, they require a large amount of energy supplied conventionally from pollutant energy sources. The environmental concerns and depletion risks of fossil fuels persuade researchers and developers to seek alternative solutions. To perform drying applications, sustainable solar power may be effective because it is highly accessible in most regions of the world. Greenhouse dryers (GHDs) are simple facilities that can provide large capacities for drying agricultural products. This study reviews the integration of GHDs with different solar technologies, including photovoltaic (PV), photovoltaic-thermal (PVT), and solar thermal collectors. Additionally, the integration of solar-assisted greenhouse dryers (SGHDs) with heat pumps and thermal energy storage (TES) units, as well as their hybrid configuration considering integration with other renewable energy sources, is investigated to improve their thermal performance. In this regard, this review presents and discusses the most recent advances in this field. Additionally, the economic analysis of SGHDs is presented as a key factor to make these sustainable facilities commercially available.

Effects of turbidity on prey consumption and growth in brook trout and implications for bioenergetics modeling

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 386-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A Sweka ◽  
Kyle J Hartman
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Specific Growth ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Turbid Water ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Specific Growth Rates

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were held in an artificial stream to observe the influence of turbidity on mean daily consumption and specific growth rates. Treatment turbidity levels ranged from clear (<3.0 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) to very turbid water (> 40 NTU). Observed mean daily specific consumption rates were standardized to the mean weight of all brook trout tested. Turbidity had no significant effect on mean daily consumption, but specific growth rates decreased significantly as turbidity increased. Brook trout in turbid water became more active and switched foraging strategies from drift feeding to active searching. This switch was energetically costly and resulted in lower specific growth rates in turbid water as compared with clear water. Bioenergetics simulations were run to compare observed growth with that predicted by the model. Observed growth values fell below those predicted by the model and the difference increased as turbidity increased. Abiotic factors, such as turbidity, which bring about changes in the activity rates of fish, can have implications for the accuracy of predicted growth by bioenergetics models.

scholarly journals Role of carbon allocation efficiency in the temperature dependence of autotroph growth rates

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (31) ◽  
pp. E7361-E7368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo García-Carreras ◽  
Sofía Sal ◽  
Daniel Padfield ◽  
Dimitrios-Georgios Kontopoulos ◽  
Elvire Bestion ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Carbon Allocation ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Allocation Efficiency ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
Performance Curves

Relating the temperature dependence of photosynthetic biomass production to underlying metabolic rates in autotrophs is crucial for predicting the effects of climatic temperature fluctuations on the carbon balance of ecosystems. We present a mathematical model that links thermal performance curves (TPCs) of photosynthesis, respiration, and carbon allocation efficiency to the exponential growth rate of a population of photosynthetic autotroph cells. Using experiments with the green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, we apply the model to show that the temperature dependence of carbon allocation efficiency is key to understanding responses of growth rates to warming at both ecological and longer-term evolutionary timescales. Finally, we assemble a dataset of multiple terrestrial and aquatic autotroph species to show that the effects of temperature-dependent carbon allocation efficiency on potential growth rate TPCs are expected to be consistent across taxa. In particular, both the thermal sensitivity and the optimal temperature of growth rates are expected to change significantly due to temperature dependence of carbon allocation efficiency alone. Our study provides a foundation for understanding how the temperature dependence of carbon allocation determines how population growth rates respond to temperature.

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