Journal ArticleDOI
Global warming and positive fitness response in mountain populations of common lizards Lacerta vivipara
TLDR
Using long-term data on common lizards collected in southern France, it is shown that individual body size dramatically increased in all the four populations studied over the past 18 years, and it might be concluded that the common lizard has been advantaged by the shift in temperature.Abstract:
Recent global warming threatens many species and has already caused population- and species-level extinctions. In particular, high risks of extinction are expected for isolated populations of species with low dispersal abilities. These predictions rely on widely used ‘climatic envelope’ models, while individual responses, the ultimate driver of a species response to climate change, have been most often neglected. Here, we report on some changes in life-history traits of a dispersal-limited reptile species (a poorly studied taxa) living in isolated populations. Using long-term data on common lizards collected in southern France, we show that individual body size dramatically increased in all the four populations studied over the past 18 years. This increase in body size in all age classes appeared related to a concomitant increase in temperature experienced during the first month of life (August). Daily maximum temperature in August increased by 2.21C and yearling snout-vent-length increased by about 28%. As a result, adult female body size increased markedly, and, as fecundity is strongly dependent on female body size, clutch size and total reproductive output also increased. For one population where capture‐ recapture data were available, adult survival was positively related to May temperature. All fitness components investigated therefore responded positively to the increase in temperature, such that it might be concluded that the common lizard has been advantaged by the shift in temperature. We contrast these short-term results with the long-term habitat-based prediction that these populations located close to mountain tops on the southern margin of the species range should be unable to cope with the alteration of their habitat. To achieve a better prediction of a species persistence, one will probably need to combine both habitat and individual-based approaches.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Declining body size: a third universal response to warming?
TL;DR: A review of recent studies shows heterogeneity in the magnitude and direction of size responses, exposing a need for large-scale phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses of temporal size change as mentioned in this paper, which will increase both understanding of the underlying mechanisms and physiological consequences of size shifts and therefore, the ability to predict the sensitivities of species to climate change.
Journal ArticleDOI
Why tropical forest lizards are vulnerable to climate warming
Raymond B. Huey,Curtis Deutsch,Joshua J. Tewksbury,Laurie J. Vitt,Paul E. Hertz,Héctor J. Álvarez Pérez,Theodore Garland +6 more
TL;DR: Focal species analyses show that some tropical forest lizards were already experiencing stressful body temperatures in summer when studied several decades ago, and simulations suggest that warming will not only further depress their physiological performance in summer, but will also enable warm-adapted, open-habitat competitors and predators to invade forests.
Journal ArticleDOI
Shrinking body size as an ecological response to climate change
TL;DR: This Perspective looks at the evidence for shrinking body size across endothermic and ectothermic organisms and proposes future research directions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Multiple Dimensions of Climate Change and Their Implications for Biodiversity
TL;DR: This review critically assesses the variety of metrics commonly used to describe climate change in biodiversity-impact assessments covering local changes in climate averages and extremes, regional changes in the availability and position of climates, and the velocity of climate change.
Journal ArticleDOI
Habitat, environment and niche: what are we modelling?
TL;DR: The concept of habitat remains associated with descriptive/correlative analyses of the environments of organisms, while the niche concept is reserved for mechanistic analyses as mentioned in this paper, and it is necessary to understand the way an organism's morphology, physiology, and especially behaviour, determine the kinds of environment it experiences when living in a particular habitat, and also how those environmental conditions affect fitness (growth, survival and reproduction).
References
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Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach
TL;DR: The second edition of this book is unique in that it focuses on methods for making formal statistical inference from all the models in an a priori set (Multi-Model Inference).
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A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems
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TL;DR: A diagnostic fingerprint of temporal and spatial ‘sign-switching’ responses uniquely predicted by twentieth century climate trends is defined and generates ‘very high confidence’ (as laid down by the IPCC) that climate change is already affecting living systems.
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Gian-Reto Walther,Eric Post,Peter Convey,Annette Menzel,Camille Parmesan,Trevor J. C. Beebee,Jean-Marc Fromentin,Ove Hoegh-Guldberg,Franz Bairlein +8 more
TL;DR: A review of the ecological impacts of recent climate change exposes a coherent pattern of ecological change across systems, from polar terrestrial to tropical marine environments.
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Decadal Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: Regional Temperatures and Precipitation
TL;DR: An evaluation of the atmospheric moisture budget reveals coherent large-scale changes since 1980 that are linked to recent dry conditions over southern Europe and the Mediterranean, whereas northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia have generally experienced wetter than normal conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Extinction risk from climate change
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TL;DR: Estimates of extinction risks for sample regions that cover some 20% of the Earth's terrestrial surface show the importance of rapid implementation of technologies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and strategies for carbon sequestration.
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