scholarly journals The CAVEheAT project: climate change, thermal niche and conservation of subterranean biodiversity

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Fernandez ◽  
Andrés Millán ◽  
Valeria Rizzo ◽  
Jordi Comas ◽  
Enric Lleopard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Thermal Niche ◽  
Project Climate Change

One of the main challenges in disciplines such as ecology, biogeography, conservation and evolutionary biology is to understand and predict how species will respond to environmental changes, especially within a climate change context. We focus on the deep subterranean environment to minimize uncertainties in predictions, because it is one of the few ecosystems in nature whose environmental conditions are as homogeneous as those in the laboratory and their species cannot accommodate to changing conditions by behavioural plasticity, dispersal or microhabitat use (i.e., their only possibility to cope with climate change is to persist in situ). The hypotheses established for this project are based on the exciting results obtained in some of our previous studies, in which, we found that different subterranean beetle species living under different environmental conditions have identical/similar narrow thermal tolerance ranges, suggesting a lack of evolutionary adjustment to ambient temperature for these species. This could be due to the loss of some of the physiological mechanisms related to thermal tolerance, with a likely high metabolic cost, in a stable environment but with severe resource restrictions. However, the question that remains is to what extent this surprising narrow and homogeneous thermal niche is common for the whole subterranean biodiversity, and how this issue could determine the fate of subterranean biodiversity to climate change. In this project, we are testing for the generality of these exciting previous findings by studying the thermal niche (species acclimation abilities and thermal tolerances) of different lineages of cave beetles with different degrees of specialization to subterranean environments and from different geographical areas (Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains) (Suppl. material 1).

scholarly journals Contrasting changes in space use induced by climate change in two Arctic marine mammal species

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 20180834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmain D. Hamilton ◽  
Jade Vacquié-Garcia ◽  
Kit M. Kovacs ◽  
Rolf A. Ims ◽  
Jack Kohler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Dietary Specialization ◽  
Environmental Pressures

Global warming is inducing major environmental changes in the Arctic. These changes will differentially affect species owing to differences in climate sensitivity and behavioural plasticity. Arctic endemic marine mammals are expected to be impacted significantly by ongoing changes in their key habitats owing to their long life cycles and dependence on ice. Herein, unique biotelemetry datasets for ringed seals (RS; Pusa hispida ) and white whales (WW; Delphinapterus leucas ) from Svalbard, Norway, spanning two decades (1995–2016) are used to investigate how these species have responded to reduced sea-ice cover and increased Atlantic water influxes. Tidal glacier fronts were traditionally important foraging areas for both species. Following a period with dramatic environmental change, RS now spend significantly more time near tidal glaciers, where Arctic prey presumably still concentrate. Conversely, WW spend significantly less time near tidal glacier fronts and display spatial patterns that suggest that they are foraging on Atlantic fishes that are new to the region. Differences in levels of dietary specialization and overall behavioural plasticity are likely reasons for similar environmental pressures affecting these species differently. Climate change adjustments through behavioural plasticity will be vital for species survival in the Arctic, given the rapidity of change and limited dispersal options.

scholarly journals Improved heat tolerance in air drives the recurrent evolution of air-breathing

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1782) ◽  
pp. 20132927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folco Giomi ◽  
Marco Fusi ◽  
Alberto Barausse ◽  
Bruce Mostert ◽  
Hans-Otto Pörtner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
High Water ◽  
Aerobic Performance ◽  
Air Breathing ◽  
Thermal Niche ◽  
Key Innovation ◽  
Animal Phyla ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Environmental Temperatures

The transition to air-breathing by formerly aquatic species has occurred repeatedly and independently in fish, crabs and other animal phyla, but the proximate drivers of this key innovation remain a long-standing puzzle in evolutionary biology. Most studies attribute the onset of air-breathing to the repeated occurrence of aquatic hypoxia; however, this hypothesis leaves the current geographical distribution of the 300 genera of air-breathing crabs unexplained. Here, we show that their occurrence is mainly related to high environmental temperatures in the tropics. We also demonstrate in an amphibious crab that the reduced cost of oxygen supply in air extends aerobic performance to higher temperatures and thus widens the animal's thermal niche. These findings suggest that high water temperature as a driver consistently explains the numerous times air-breathing has evolved. The data also indicate a central role for oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance not only in shaping sensitivity to current climate change but also in underpinning the climate-dependent evolution of animals, in this case the evolution of air-breathing.

scholarly journals Thermal ecology of the federally endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen N Ivey ◽  
Margaret Cornwall ◽  
Hayley Crowell ◽  
Nargol Ghazian ◽  
Emmeleia Nix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Thermal Ecology ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Open Habitat ◽  
Kangaroo Rat ◽  
Upper Thermal Tolerance

Abstract Recognizing how climate change will impact populations can aid in making decisions about approaches for conservation of endangered species. The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is a federally endangered species that, despite protection, remains in extremely arid, hot areas and may be at risk of extirpation due to climate change. We collected data on the field-active body temperatures, preferred body temperatures and upper thermal tolerance of G. sila. We then described available thermal habitat using biophysical models, which allowed us to (i) describe patterns in lizard body temperatures, microhabitat temperatures and lizard microhabitat use; (ii) quantify the lizards’ thermoregulatory accuracy; (iii) calculate the number of hours they are currently thermally restricted in microhabitat use; (iv) project how the number of restricted hours will change in the future as ambient temperatures rise; and (v) assess the importance of giant kangaroo rat burrows and shade-providing shrubs in the current and projected future thermal ecology of G. sila. Lizards maintained fairly consistent daytime body temperatures over the course of the active season, and use of burrows and shrubs increased as the season progressed and ambient temperatures rose. During the hottest part of the year, lizards shuttled among kangaroo rat burrows, shrubs, and open habitat to maintain body temperatures below their upper thermal tolerance, but, occasionally, higher than their preferred body temperature range. Lizards are restricted from staying in the open habitat for 75% of daylight hours and are forced to seek refuge under shrubs or burrows to avoid surpassing their upper thermal threshold. After applying climatic projections of 1 and 2°C increases to 2018 ambient temperatures, G. sila will lose additional hours of activity time that could compound stressors faced by this population, potentially leading to extirpation.

scholarly journals Evolutionary traps and range shifts in a rapidly changing world

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 20160003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Hale ◽  
John R. Morrongiello ◽  
Stephen E. Swearer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Population Persistence ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Changing World

Humans are altering the environment at an unprecedented rate. Although behavioural plasticity has allowed many species to respond by shifting their ranges to more favourable conditions, these rapid environmental changes may cause ‘evolutionary traps’, whereby animals mistakenly prefer resources that reduce their fitness. The role of evolutionary traps in influencing the fitness consequences of range shifts remains largely unexplored. Here, we review these interactions by considering how climate change may trigger maladaptive developmental pathways or increase the probability of animals encountering traps. We highlight how traps could selectively remove some phenotypes and compromise population persistence. We conclude by highlighting emerging areas of research that would improve our understanding of when interactions between evolutionary traps and range shifts are likely to be most detrimental to animals.

scholarly journals How is epigenetics predicted to contribute to climate change adaptation? What evidence do we need?

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1826) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina McGuigan ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann ◽  
Carla M. Sgrò
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Transgenerational Effects ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Fitness Effects ◽  
Frequency Changes

Transgenerational effects that are interpreted in terms of epigenetics have become an important research focus at a time when rapid environmental changes are occurring. These effects are usually interpreted as enhancing fitness extremely rapidly, without depending on the slower process of natural selection changing DNA-encoded (fixed) genetic variants in populations. Supporting evidence comes from a variety of sources, including environmental associations with epialleles, cross-generation responses of clonal material exposed to different environmental conditions, and altered patterns of methylation or frequency changes in epialleles across time. Transgenerational environmental effects have been postulated to be larger than those associated with DNA-encoded genetic changes, based on (for instance) stronger associations between epialleles and environmental conditions. Yet environmental associations for fixed genetic differences may always be weak under polygenic models where multiple combinations of alleles can lead to the same evolutionary outcome. The ultimate currency of adaptation is fitness, and few transgenerational studies have robustly determined fitness effects, particularly when compared to fixed genetic variants. Not all transgenerational modifications triggered by climate change will increase fitness: stressful conditions often trigger negative fitness effects across generations that can eliminate benefits. Epigenetic responses and other transgenerational effects will undoubtedly play a role in climate change adaptation, but further, well-designed, studies are required to test their importance relative to DNA-encoded changes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?’

scholarly journals Constraints and Opportunities for the Evolution of Metamorphic Organisms in a Changing Climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Suzuki ◽  
Lyanna Toh
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life History ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Postembryonic Development ◽  
Endocrine Regulation ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Genetic Accommodation ◽  
The Many

We argue that developmental hormones facilitate the evolution of novel phenotypic innovations and timing of life history events by genetic accommodation. Within an individual’s life cycle, metamorphic hormones respond readily to environmental conditions and alter adult phenotypes. Across generations, the many effects of hormones can bias and at times constrain the evolution of traits during metamorphosis; yet, hormonal systems can overcome constraints through shifts in timing of, and acquisition of tissue specific responses to, endocrine regulation. Because of these actions of hormones, metamorphic hormones can shape the evolution of metamorphic organisms. We present a model called a developmental goblet, which provides a visual representation of how metamorphic organisms might evolve. In addition, because developmental hormones often respond to environmental changes, we discuss how endocrine regulation of postembryonic development may impact how organisms evolve in response to climate change. Thus, we propose that developmental hormones may provide a mechanistic link between climate change and organismal adaptation.

scholarly journals Evolutionary tipping points in the capacity to adapt to environmental change

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Botero ◽  
Franz J. Weissing ◽  
Jonathan Wright ◽  
Dustin R. Rubenstein
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Parameter Space ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Fluctuating Selection

In an era of rapid climate change, there is a pressing need to understand how organisms will cope with faster and less predictable variation in environmental conditions. Here we develop a unifying model that predicts evolutionary responses to environmentally driven fluctuating selection and use this theoretical framework to explore the potential consequences of altered environmental cycles. We first show that the parameter space determined by different combinations of predictability and timescale of environmental variation is partitioned into distinct regions where a single mode of response (reversible phenotypic plasticity, irreversible phenotypic plasticity, bet-hedging, or adaptive tracking) has a clear selective advantage over all others. We then demonstrate that, although significant environmental changes within these regions can be accommodated by evolution, most changes that involve transitions between regions result in rapid population collapse and often extinction. Thus, the boundaries between response mode regions in our model correspond to evolutionary tipping points, where even minor changes in environmental parameters can have dramatic and disproportionate consequences on population viability. Finally, we discuss how different life histories and genetic architectures may influence the location of tipping points in parameter space and the likelihood of extinction during such transitions. These insights can help identify and address some of the cryptic threats to natural populations that are likely to result from any natural or human-induced change in environmental conditions. They also demonstrate the potential value of evolutionary thinking in the study of global climate change.

Dissolved oxygen and temperature best predict deep-sea fish community structure in the Gulf of California with climate change implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 159-180
Author(s):  
ND Gallo ◽  
M Beckwith ◽  
CL Wei ◽  
LA Levin ◽  
L Kuhnz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Explained Variance

Natural gradient systems can be used to examine the vulnerability of deep-sea communities to climate change. The Gulf of California presents an ideal system for examining relationships between faunal patterns and environmental conditions of deep-sea communities because deep-sea conditions change from warm and oxygen-rich in the north to cold and severely hypoxic in the south. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) ‘Doc Ricketts’ was used to conduct seafloor video transects at depths of ~200-1400 m in the northern, central, and southern Gulf. The community composition, density, and diversity of demersal fish assemblages were compared to environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that climate-relevant variables (temperature, oxygen, and primary production) have more explanatory power than static variables (latitude, depth, and benthic substrate) in explaining variation in fish community structure. Temperature best explained variance in density, while oxygen best explained variance in diversity and community composition. Both density and diversity declined with decreasing oxygen, but diversity declined at a higher oxygen threshold (~7 µmol kg-1). Remarkably, high-density fish communities were observed living under suboxic conditions (<5 µmol kg-1). Using an Earth systems global climate model forced under an RCP8.5 scenario, we found that by 2081-2100, the entire Gulf of California seafloor is expected to experience a mean temperature increase of 1.08 ± 1.07°C and modest deoxygenation. The projected changes in temperature and oxygen are expected to be accompanied by reduced diversity and related changes in deep-sea demersal fish communities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document