Tag: climate change

behavioural ecology

Hibernation timing in ground squirrels is shaped by predation risk, food availability, and reproductive opportunities

Austin Allison, Courtney Conway, Alice Morris This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Hibernation is usually assumed to be an adaptation allowing animals to survive weather extremes and food scarcity. But, some animals hibernate for long periods even when weather is suitable and food is abundant. This fact is perplexing because hibernation adversely affects vital … Continue reading Hibernation timing in ground squirrels is shaped by predation risk, food availability, and reproductive opportunities

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animal physiological ecology

Warming undermines emergence success in a threatened alpine stonefly: A multi-trait perspective on vulnerability to climate change

Alisha A. Shah, Scott Hotaling, Anthony B. Lapsansky, Rachel L. Malison, Jackson H. Birrell, Tylor Keeley, J. Joseph Giersch, Lusha M. Tronstad, H. Arthur Woods This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. In high mountain regions worldwide, climate change is causing rapid recession of glaciers. Downstream, these changes are altering patterns of water flow and … Continue reading Warming undermines emergence success in a threatened alpine stonefly: A multi-trait perspective on vulnerability to climate change

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evolutionary ecology

Can multiple mating help spider mites recover their fertility after exposure to high temperatures?

Sofia G Costa, Sara Magalhães, Leonor R Rodrigues This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Organisms are negatively affected by extreme temperatures, which suggests that climate warming poses a severe threat to biodiversity. Recently, it has become clear that reproductive traits are often more sensitive to high temperatures than other traits, such as those related … Continue reading Can multiple mating help spider mites recover their fertility after exposure to high temperatures?

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behavioural ecology

Female mate preferences of tropical butterflies are learned and become maladaptive when temperature increases

Marie-Jeanne Holveck, Doriane Muller, Bertanne Visser, Arthur Timmermans, Lidwine Colonval, Fabrice Jan, Michel Crucifix, Caroline M. Nieberding This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Learning is increasingly acknowledged to allow short-lived, non-social animals, such as butterflies, to change their behaviour after an experience with their environment. While learning is usually assumed to increase adaptation in … Continue reading Female mate preferences of tropical butterflies are learned and become maladaptive when temperature increases

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plant physiological ecology

Biochemical plant traits respond differentially to climate than structural traits

Dinesh Thakur, Věroslava Hadincová, Renáta Schnablová, Helena Synková, Daniel Haisel, Nada Wilhelmová, Tomáš Dostálek, Zuzana Münzbergová This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Understanding the effects of climate change on plants has been a major goal for many scientists in recent decades. To do so, researchers are identifying and using traits that may capture the … Continue reading Biochemical plant traits respond differentially to climate than structural traits

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ecosystems ecology

Blue Carbon and Global Climate Change

Shaopan Xia, Zhaoliang Song, Weiqi Wang, Yaran Fan, Laodong Guo, Lukas Van Zwieten, Iain P. Hartley, Yin Fang, Yidong Wang, Zhenqing Zhang, Cong-Qiang Liu, Hailong Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. At present, global warming is the major environmental problem. Soils store 1500 gigatons (Gt) of organic carbon in the upper one meter … Continue reading Blue Carbon and Global Climate Change

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animal physiological ecology

Temperature and resource availability influence body size in North American bats

Jesse M. Alston, Douglas A. Keinath, Craig K.R. Willis, Cori L. Lausen, Joy M. O’Keefe, Janet D. Tyburec, Hugh G. Broders, Paul R. Moosman, Timothy C. Carter, Carol L. Chambers, Erin H. Gillam, Keith Geluso, Theodore J. Weller, Douglas W. Burles, Quinn E. Fletcher, Kaleigh J.O. Norquay, Jacob R. Goheen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be … Continue reading Temperature and resource availability influence body size in North American bats

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plant physiological ecology

Mediterranean species near their geographical dry edge operate close to their hydraulic limits

Asaf Alon, Shabtai Cohen, Regis Burlett, Uri Hochberg, Victor Lukyanov, Ido Rog, Tamir Klein, Herve Cochard, Sylvain Delzon, Rakefet David-Schwartz This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. We are all familiar with concepts of different native flora in different climates. Many of these differences are driven by temperatures and aridity. When aridity increases species in … Continue reading Mediterranean species near their geographical dry edge operate close to their hydraulic limits

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behavioural ecology, Translated Summaries

Heatwaves are harmful to survival and reproduction in the guppy Poecilia reticulata, a livebearing freshwater fish

Merel C. Breedveld, Alessandro Devigili, Oliviero Borgheresi, Clelia Gasparini This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Evidence that gradual climate change threatens biodiversity is growing. For instance, by forcing animals or plants to move to higher elevations or latitudes, global warming increases the risk of species extinction. However, the impact of climate change-driven extreme weather … Continue reading Heatwaves are harmful to survival and reproduction in the guppy Poecilia reticulata, a livebearing freshwater fish

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ecosystems ecology

Change on the Range: Plant species loss from over-grazing will reduce rangeland carbon storage

Anvar Sanaei, Emma J. Sayer, Zuoqiang Yuan, Hugo Saiz,Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo,Majid Sadeghinia, Parvaneh Ashouri, Sahar Ghafari, Hasan Kaboli, Mansoureh Kargar, Eric W. Seabloom, Arshad Ali This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Livestock grazing in rangelands supports the livelihoods of millions of people in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Unfortunately, over-grazing and climate change … Continue reading Change on the Range: Plant species loss from over-grazing will reduce rangeland carbon storage

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