Low acclimation capacity of narrow‐ranging thermal specialists exposes susceptibility to global climate change

Thermal acclimation is hypothesized to offer a selective advantage in seasonal habitats and may underlie disparities in geographic range size among closely‐related species with similar ecologies. Understanding this relationship is also critical for identifying species that are more sensitive to warming climates. Here, we study North American plethodontid salamanders to investigate whether acclimation ability is associated with species’ latitudinal extents and the thermal range of the environments they inhabit. We quantified variation in thermal physiology by measuring standard metabolic rate (SMR) at different test and acclimation temperatures for 16 species of salamanders with varying latitudinal extents. A phylogenetically‐controlled Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model (MCMCglmm) was then employed to determine whether there are differences in SMR between wide‐ and narrow‐ranging species at different acclimation temperatures. In addition, we tested for a relationship between the acclimation ability of species and the environmental temperature ranges they inhabit. Further, we investigated if there is a trade‐off between critical thermal maximum (CTMax) and thermal acclimation ability. MCMCglmm results show a significant difference in acclimation ability between wide and narrow‐ranging temperate salamanders. Salamanders with wide latitudinal distributions maintain or slightly increase SMR when subjected to higher test and acclimation temperatures, whereas several narrow‐ranging species show significant metabolic depression. We also found significant, positive relationships between acclimation ability and environmental thermal range, and between acclimation ability and CTMax. Wide‐ranging salamander species exhibit a greater capacity for thermal acclimation than narrow‐ranging species, suggesting that selection for acclimation ability may have been a key factor enabling geographic expansion into areas with greater thermal variability. Further, given that narrow‐ranging salamanders are found to have both poor acclimation ability and lower tolerance to warm temperatures, they are likely to be more susceptible to environmental warming associated with anthropogenic climate change.     

A common thermal niche among geographically diverse populations of the widely distributed tree species Eucalyptus tereticornis: No evidence for adaptation to climate‐of‐origin

Impacts of climate warming depend on the degree to which plants are constrained by adaptation to their climate‐of‐origin or exhibit broad climatic suitability. We grew cool‐origin, central and warm‐origin provenances of Eucalyptus tereticornis in an array of common temperature environments from 18 to 35.5°C to determine if this widely distributed tree species consists of geographically contrasting provenances with differentiated and narrow thermal niches, or if provenances share a common thermal niche. The temperature responses of photosynthesis, respiration, and growth were equivalent across the three provenances, reflecting a common thermal niche despite a 2,200 km geographic distance and 13°C difference in mean annual temperature at seed origin. The temperature dependence of growth was primarily mediated by changes in leaf area per unit plant mass, photosynthesis, and whole‐plant respiration. Thermal acclimation of leaf, stem, and root respiration moderated the increase in respiration with temperature, but acclimation was constrained at high temperatures. We conclude that this species consists of provenances that are not differentiated in their thermal responses, thus rejecting our hypothesis of adaptation to climate‐of‐origin and suggesting a shared thermal niche. In addition, growth declines with warming above the temperature optima were driven by reductions in whole‐plant leaf area and increased respiratory carbon losses. The impacts of climate warming will nonetheless vary across the geographic range of this and other such species, depending primarily on each provenance's climate position on the temperature response curves for photosynthesis, respiration, and growth.     

Acclimation responses to temperature vary with vertical stratification: implications for vulnerability of soil‐dwelling species to extreme temperature events

The occurrence of summer heat waves is predicted to increase in amplitude and frequency in the near future, but the consequences of such extreme events are largely unknown, especially for belowground organisms. Soil organisms usually exhibit strong vertical stratification, resulting in more frequent exposure to extreme temperatures for surface‐dwelling species than for soil‐dwelling species. Therefore soil‐dwelling species are expected to have poor acclimation responses to cope with temperature changes. We used five species of surface‐dwelling and four species of soil‐dwelling Collembola that habituate different depths in the soil. We tested for differences in tolerance to extreme temperatures after acclimation to warm and cold conditions. We also tested for differences in acclimation of the underlying physiology by looking at changes in membrane lipid composition. Chill coma recovery time, heat knockdown time and fatty acid profiles were determined after 1 week of acclimation to either 5 or 20 °C. Our results showed that surface‐dwelling Collembola better maintained increased heat tolerance across acclimation temperatures, but no such response was found for cold tolerance. Concordantly, four of the five surface‐dwelling Collembola showed up to fourfold changes in relative abundance of fatty acids after 1 week of acclimation, whereas none of the soil‐dwelling species showed a significant adjustment in fatty acid composition. Strong physiological responses to temperature fluctuations may have become redundant in soil‐dwelling species due to the relative thermal stability of their subterranean habitat. Based on the results of the four species studied, we expect that unless soil‐dwelling species can temporarily retreat to avoid extreme temperatures, the predicted increase in heat waves under climatic change renders these soil‐dwelling species more vulnerable to extinction than species with better physiological capabilities. Being able to act under a larger thermal range is probably costly and could reduce maximum performance at the optimal temperature.     

Can Antarctic lichens acclimatize to changes in temperature?

The Antarctic Peninsula, a tundra biome dominated by lichens and bryophytes, is an ecozone undergoing rapid temperature shifts. Such changes may demand a high physiological plasticity of the local lichen species to maintain their role as key drivers in this pristine habitat. This study examines the response of net photosynthesis and respiration to increasing temperatures for three Antarctic lichen species with different ecological response amplitudes. We hypothesize that negative effects caused by increased temperatures can be mitigated by thermal acclimation of respiration and/or photosynthesis. The fully controlled growth chamber experiment simulated intermediate and extreme temperature increases over the time course of 6 weeks. Results showed that, in contrast to our hypothesis, none of the species was able to down‐regulate temperature‐driven respiratory losses through thermal acclimation of respiration. Instead, severe effects on photobiont vitality demonstrated that temperatures around 15°C mark the upper limit for the two species restricted to the Antarctic, and when mycobiont demands exceeded the photobiont capacity they could not survive within the lichen thallus. In contrast, the widespread lichen species was able to recover its homoeostasis by rapidly increasing net photosynthesis. We conclude that to understand the complete lichen response, acclimation processes of both symbionts, the photo‐ and the mycobiont, have to be evaluated separately. As a result, we postulate that any acclimation processes in lichen are species‐specific. This, together with the high degree of response variability and sensitivity to temperature in different species that co‐occur spatially close, complicates any predictions regarding future community composition in the Antarctic. Nevertheless, our results suggest that species with a broad ecological amplitude may be favoured with on‐going changes in temperature.     

Using temperature‐dependent changes in leaf scaling relationships to quantitatively account for thermal acclimation of respiration in a coupled global climate–vegetation model

The response of plant respiration (R) to temperature is an important component of the biosphere's response to climate change. At present, most global models assume that R increases exponentially with temperature and does not thermally acclimate. Although we now know that acclimation does occur, quantitative incorporation of acclimation into models has been lacking. Using a dataset for 19 species grown at four temperatures (7, 14, 21, and 28 °C), we have assessed whether sustained differences in growth temperature systematically alter the slope and/or intercepts of the generalized log–log plots of leaf R vs. leaf mass per unit leaf area (LMA) and vs. leaf nitrogen (N) concentration. The extent to which variations in growth temperature account for the scatter observed in log–log R–LMA–N scaling relationships was also assessed. We show that thermal history accounts for up to 20% of the scatter in scaling relationships used to predict R, with the impact of thermal history on R–LMA–N generalized scaling relationships being highly predictable. This finding enabled us to quantitatively incorporate acclimation of R into a coupled global climate–vegetation model. We show that accounting for acclimation of R has negligible impact on predicted annual rates of global R, net primary productivity (NPP) or future atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. However, our analysis suggests that accounting for acclimation is important when considering carbon fluxes among thermally contrasting biomes (e.g. accounting for acclimation decreases predicted rates of R by up to 20% in high‐temperature biomes). We conclude that acclimation of R needs to be accounted for when predicting potential responses of terrestrial carbon exchange to climatic change at a regional level.     

Acclimation effects on thermal tolerances of springtails from sub-Antarctic Marion Island: indigenous and invasive species

Collembola are abundant and functionally significant arthropods in sub-Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, and their importance has increased as a consequence of the many invasive alien species that have been introduced to the region. It has also been predicted that current and future climate change will favour alien over indigenous species as a consequence of more favourable responses to warming in the former. It is therefore surprising that little is known about the environmental physiology of sub-Antarctic springtails and that few studies have explicitly tested the hypothesis that invasive species will outperform indigenous ones under warmer conditions. Here we present thermal tolerance data on three invasive (Pogonognathellus flavescens, Isotomurus cf. palustris, Ceratophysella denticulata) and two indigenous (Cryptopygus antarcticus, Tullbergia bisetosa) species of springtails from Marion Island, explicitly testing the idea that consistent differences exist between the indigenous and invasive species both in their absolute limits and the ways in which they respond to acclimation (at temperatures from 0 to 20 degrees C). Phenotypic plasticity is the first in a series of ways in which organisms might respond to altered environments. Using a poorly explored, but highly appropriate technique, we demonstrate that in these species the crystallization temperature (Tc) is equal to the lower lethal temperature. We also show that cooling rate (1 degree C min(-1); 0.1 degrees C min(-1); 0.5 degrees C h(-1) from 5 to -1 degrees C followed by 0.1 degrees C min(-1)) has little effect on Tc. The indigenous species typically have low Tcs (c. -20 to -13 degrees C depending on the acclimation temperature), whilst those of the invasive species tend to be higher (c. -12 to -6 degrees C) at the lower acclimation temperatures. However, Ceratophysella denticulata is an exception with a low Tc (c. -20 to -18 degrees C), and in P. flavescens acclimation to 20 degrees C results in a pronounced decline in Tc. In general, the invasive and alien species do not differ substantially in acclimation effects on Tc (with the exception of the strong response in P. flavescens). Upper lethal temperatures (ULT50) are typically higher in the invasive (33-37 degrees C) than in the indigenous (30-33 degrees C) species and the response to acclimation differs among the two groups. The indigenous species show either a weak response to acclimation or ULT50 declines with increasing acclimation temperature, whereas in the invasive species ULT50 increases with acclimation temperature. These findings support the hypothesis that many invasive species will be favoured by climate change (warming and drying) at Marion Island. Moreover, manipulative field experiments have shown abundance changes in the indigenous and invasive springtail species in the direction predicted by the physiological data.     

Range position and climate sensitivity: The structure of among‐population demographic responses to climatic variation

Species’ distributions will respond to climate change based on the relationship between local demographic processes and climate and how this relationship varies based on range position. A rarely tested demographic prediction is that populations at the extremes of a species’ climate envelope (e.g., populations in areas with the highest mean annual temperature) will be most sensitive to local shifts in climate (i.e., warming). We tested this prediction using a dynamic species distribution model linking demographic rates to variation in temperature and precipitation for wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) in North America. Using long‐term monitoring data from 746 populations in 27 study areas, we determined how climatic variation affected population growth rates and how these relationships varied with respect to long‐term climate. Some models supported the predicted pattern, with negative effects of extreme summer temperatures in hotter areas and positive effects on recruitment for summer water availability in drier areas. We also found evidence of interacting temperature and precipitation influencing population size, such as extreme heat having less of a negative effect in wetter areas. Other results were contrary to predictions, such as positive effects of summer water availability in wetter parts of the range and positive responses to winter warming especially in milder areas. In general, we found wood frogs were more sensitive to changes in temperature or temperature interacting with precipitation than to changes in precipitation alone. Our results suggest that sensitivity to changes in climate cannot be predicted simply by knowing locations within the species’ climate envelope. Many climate processes did not affect population growth rates in the predicted direction based on range position. Processes such as species‐interactions, local adaptation, and interactions with the physical landscape likely affect the responses we observed. Our work highlights the need to measure demographic responses to changing climate.     

温度驯化对尖头鳉热耐受特征的影响

为了研究不同驯化温度对尖头鰂(Rhynchocypris oxycephalus)热耐受特征的影响, 本研究设置4组水温(14℃、19℃、24℃和29℃), 对尖头鰂驯化两周, 采用临界温度法观察尖头鰂的耐受温度。结果显示: 尖头鰂的热耐受性受到温度驯化的影响, 表现为高温驯化可以升高最大临界温度(CT_max), 4个驯化组的平均CT_max分别为32.29℃、33.23℃、33.40℃和35.71℃; 低温驯化可以降低最小临界温度(CT_min), 平均CT_min分别为0.00、0.10℃、2.10℃和5.27℃; 在适中的温度(19℃)驯化条件下具有最高的温度耐受范围(33.13℃)。在高温条件下的温度驯化具有较高的驯化反应率, 最大值出现在24—29℃内(0.46); 低温驯化反应率最大值出现在29—24℃内, 为0.63。尖头鰂在本研究的驯化区间(14—29℃)内的热耐受区域面积为478.98℃2, 与温水性鱼类的温度耐受性相当, 说明尖头鰂具有较强的温度适应能力。     

Juvenile Ribbontail Stingray, Taeniura lymma (Forssk?l, 1775) (Chondrichthyes, Dasyatidae), demonstrate a unique suite of physiological adaptations to survive hyperthermic nursery conditions

Juvenile ribbontail stingrays, Taeniura lymma (Forssk?l, 1775) of the tropical West Pacific inhabit mangal and seagrass nurseries that often experience rapid and extreme increases in water temperature. We hypothesized that juvenile rays possess a thermal strategy similar to other hyperthermic specialists, in which fish prefer high temperatures, are always prepared for thermal extremes regardless of previous thermal history, and exhibit low metabolic thermal sensitivity. Critical thermal methodology was used to determine the thermal niche, and a thermal gradient used to estimate stingray final preferendum. Temperature quotients (Q ₁₀) were calculated from metabolic rates determined at three temperatures using flow-through respirometry. As predicted, juvenile rays showed a relatively small thermal niche dominated by intrinsic tolerance with limited capacity for acclimation. Thermal preference values were higher than those reported for other elasmobranch species. Interestingly, the temperature quotient for juvenile rays was higher than expected, suggesting that these fish may have the ability to exploit the thermal heterogeneity in their environment. Temperature likely acts as a directing factor in this species, separating warm tolerant juveniles from adults living in deeper, cooler waters.     

Evidence for lower plasticity in CTMAX at warmer developmental temperatures

Understanding the capacity for different species to reduce their susceptibility to climate change via phenotypic plasticity is essential for accurately predicting species extinction risk. The climatic variability hypothesis suggests that spatial and temporal variation in climatic variables should select for more plastic phenotypes. However, empirical support for this hypothesis is limited. Here, we examine the capacity for ten Drosophila species to increase their critical thermal maxima (CT_MAX) through developmental acclimation and/or adult heat hardening. Using four fluctuating developmental temperature regimes, ranging from 13 to 33 °C, we find that most species can increase their CT_MAX via developmental acclimation and adult hardening, but found no relationship between climatic variables and absolute measures of plasticity. However, when plasticity was dissected across developmental temperatures, a positive association between plasticity and one measure of climatic variability (temperature seasonality) was found when development took place between 26 and 28 °C, whereas a negative relationship was found when development took place between 20 and 23 °C. In addition, a decline in CT_MAX and egg‐to‐adult viability, a proxy for fitness, was observed in tropical species at the warmer developmental temperatures (26–28 °C); this suggests that tropical species may be at even greater risk from climate change than currently predicted. The combined effects of developmental acclimation and adult hardening on CT_MAX were small, contributing to a <0.60 °C shift in CT_MAX. Although small shifts in CT_MAX may increase population persistence in the shorter term, the degree to which they can contribute to meaningful responses in the long term is unclear.     

Diversification of ectoparasite assemblages and climate: an example with fleas parasitic on small mammals

Aim We studied the relationships between the numbers of species and numbers of higher taxa (genera, tribes, subfamilies and families) in flea assemblages of small mammalian hosts with the aims of: (a) comparing these relationships across different regions, and (b) testing the hypothesis that flea assemblages in warmer regions diversify mainly via intrahost speciation, whereas those in colder regions diversify mainly via host switching. Location The study used previously published data on flea assemblages on small mammalian hosts from 25 different regions of the Holarctic. Methods The number of flea genera, tribes, subfamilies or families in an assemblage (host species) was plotted against the number of flea species in this assemblage for each region separately, and a power function was fitted to the resulting relationships. Then, the values of the exponent of the power function for a region were regressed against the mean annual temperature in this region, across all regions. Results The relationships between the number of flea species and the numbers of flea genera, tribes, subfamilies or families on a host species in each region were found to be well described by simple power functions. The exponent of the power function of the relationship between the number of flea species and the number of flea genera per host tended to decrease with increasing local mean annual temperature. When two apparent outliers from the trend (corresponding to regions where sampling was not performed as in other regions) were omitted from the analysis, the negative relationship between temperature and the exponent of the power function between the number of flea species and number of flea genera per host became highly significant. No relationship was found between the values of the exponents of the power functions between the number of flea species and the number of flea tribes, subfamilies or families per host, and the mean local annual temperature. Main conclusions The results suggest that the diversification of flea assemblages is associated with climatic variables. In warm regions, the greater number of congeneric species per flea assemblage, reflected by the lower exponent of the power function, may well be the outcome of intrahost speciation. This indicates that, as regional temperature increases, intrahost speciation becomes a relatively more important mode of diversification than acquisition of fleas via host switching.     

Electrocardiogram and heart rate in response to temperature acclimation in three representative vertebrates

Comparisons of electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate characteristics of three representative species in response to temperature acclimation were studied. In toad (Bufo raddei), T wave had positive, negative and flat patterns, which was different from positive in lizard (Eremias multiocellata), blunt and broad in bird (Alectories magna). The duration of P-R interval, Q-T interval and QRS complex interval reduced with increasing temperature in toad, but the P-R and T-P intervals were affected mostly, the QRS and R-T intervals were relatively less affected in lizard. In the bird, the voltage of P, S and T wave scarcely changed, R wave increased slightly with temperature going up in the thermal neutral zone (20-35 degrees C), T and S waves tended to increase and P-S and S-T intervals shortened when temperature went below the neutral zone. Heart rate was high and relatively steady in bird, but changed linearly in relation to temperature in toad and lizard. The increasing of heart rate with temperature was mainly caused by the T-P interval shortened in lizard, but P-S and S-T intervals shortened in bird. Comparisons of ECG and heart rate characteristics of three representative species in response to temperature acclimation reflected phylogenetically based constraints on pacemaker rates, oxygen supply and modulatory mechanisms.     

Thermal acclimation effects differ between voluntary, maximum, and critical swimming velocities in two cyprinid fishes

Temperature acclimation may be a critical component of the locomotor physiology and ecology of ectothermic animals, particularly those living in eurythermal environments. Several studies of fish report striking acclimation of biochemical and kinetic properties in isolated muscle. However, the relatively few studies of whole-animal performance report variable acclimation responses. We test the hypothesis that different types of whole-animal locomotion will respond differently to temperature acclimation, probably due to divergent physiological bases of locomotion. We studied two cyprinid fishes, tinfoil barbs (Puntius schwanenfeldii) and river barbels (Barbus barbus). Study fish were acclimated to either cold or warm temperatures for at least 6 wk and then assayed at four test temperatures for three types of swimming performance. We measured voluntary swimming velocity to estimate routine locomotor behavior, maximum fast start velocity to estimate anaerobic capacity, and critical swimming velocity to estimate primarily aerobic capacity. All three performance measures showed some acute thermal dependence, generally a positive correlation between swimming speed and test temperature. However, each performance measure responded quite differently to acclimation. Critical speeds acclimated strongly, maximum speeds not at all, and voluntary speeds uniquely in each species. Thus we conclude that long-term temperature exposure can have very different consequences for different types of locomotion, consistent with our hypothesis. The data also address previous hypotheses that predict that polyploid and eurythermal fish will have greater acclimation abilities than other fish, due to increased genetic flexibility and ecological selection, respectively. Our results conflict with these predictions. River barbels are eurythermal polyploids and tinfoil barbs stenothermal diploids, yet voluntary swimming acclimated strongly in tinfoil barbs and minimally in river barbels, and acclimation was otherwise comparable.     

Tree-rings,genetics and the environment: Complex interactions at the rear edge of species distribution range

Under climate change, modifications on plants’ growth are expected to be the strongest at species margins. Therein, tree acclimation could play a key role as migration is predicted to be too slow to track shifts of bioclimatic envelops. A requirement is, however, that intra-population genetic diversity be high enough for allowing such adaptation of tree populations to climate change. In this study, we tested for the existence of relationships between genetic diversity, site environmental conditions, and the response of annual tree growth to climate of Pinus cembra at its southern limit in the Alps. Site-specific climatic and environmental factors predominantly determined the response of trees along the precipitation gradient. The growth-climate interactions were chiefly linked to mean annual precipitation and temperature, slope and tree-size, and less to genetic diversity. We show that genetic background of Pinus cembra has exclusively indirect modulating power with limited effects on tree-ring formation, and within the southern limit in the Alps, genetic variability is not necessarily well expressed in the patterns of annual tree growth. Our results may imply little adaptive capacity of these populations to future changes in the water balance.     

Thermal acclimation and seasonal variations of erythrocyte size in the Andean mouse Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris

Seasonal hematological adjustments in small mammals may include changes in the number and size of the red cells or changes in other linked blood parameters. The direction and magnitude of these changes vary in different species. We hypothesized that the observed variations of the red cell adjustments could be directly related to the magnitude of the seasonal temperature differential, and predicted that the annual red cell size variation in rodents from environments with marked seasonal changes would tend to disappear, if the animals were raised under milder and constant environments. To test this idea, we got field blood samples from the Andean species Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris enduring a winter-summer thermal differential of at least 20 degrees C. These animals had significantly smaller erythrocytes during the winter. Contrary to our prediction, their offspring born and raised under constant temperature conditions showed a similar trend. Unless the effective environmental cue differed from the one we used, these results favor the idea of a genetically determined annual red cell size variation that occurs independent of thermal acclimation and acclimatization.     

EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION TO TEMPERATURE. VI. PHENOTYPIC ACCLIMATION AND ITS EVOLUTION IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Acclimation refers to reversible, nongenetic changes in phenotype that are induced by specific environmental conditions. Acclimation is generally assumed to improve function in the environment that induces it (the beneficial acclimation hypothesis). In this study, we experimentally tested this assumption by measuring relative fitness of the bacterium Escherichia coli acclimated to different thermal environments. The beneficial acclimation hypothesis predicts that bacteria acclimated to the temperature of competition should have greater fitness than do bacteria acclimated to any other temperature. The benefit predicted by the hypothesis was found in only seven of 12 comparisons; in the other comparisons, either no statistically demonstrable benefit was observed or a detrimental effect of acclimation was demonstrated. For example, in a lineage evolutionarily adapted to 37°C, bacteria acclimated to 37°C have a higher fitness at 32°C than do bacteria acclimated to 32°C, a result exactly contrary to prediction; acclimation to 27°C or 40°C prior to competition at those temperatures confers no benefit over 37°C acclimated forms. Consequently, the beneficial acclimation hypothesis must be rejected as a general prediction of the inevitable result of phenotypic adjustments associated with new environments. However, the hypothesis is supported in many instances when the acclimation and competition temperatures coincide with the historical temperature at which the bacterial populations have evolved. For example, when the evolutionary temperature of the population was 37°C, bacteria acclimated to 37°C had superior fitness at 37°C to those acclimated to 32°C; similarly, bacteria evolutionarily adapted to 32°C had a higher fitness during competition at 32°C than they did when acclimated to 37°C. The more surprising results are that when the bacteria are acclimated to their historical evolutionary temperature, they are frequently competitively superior even at other temperatures. For example, bacteria that have evolved at either 20°C or 32°C and are acclimated to their respective evolutionary temperatures have a greater fitness at 37°C than when they are acclimated to 37°C. Thus, acclimation to evolutionary temperature may, as a correlated consequence, enhance performance not only in the evolutionary environment, but also in a variety of other thermal environments.     

Adapt,move or die – how will tropical coral reef fishes cope with ocean warming?

Previous studies hailed thermal tolerance and the capacity for organisms to acclimate and adapt as the primary pathways for species survival under climate change. Here we challenge this theory. Over the past decade, more than 365 tropical stenothermal fish species have been documented moving poleward, away from ocean warming hotspots where temperatures 2–3 °C above long‐term annual means can compromise critical physiological processes. We examined the capacity of a model species – a thermally sensitive coral reef fish, Chromis viridis (Pomacentridae) – to use preference behaviour to regulate its body temperature. Movement could potentially circumvent the physiological stress response associated with elevated temperatures and may be a strategy relied upon before genetic adaptation can be effectuated. Individuals were maintained at one of six temperatures (23, 25, 27, 29, 31 and 33 °C) for at least 6 weeks. We compared the relative importance of acclimation temperature to changes in upper critical thermal limits, aerobic metabolic scope and thermal preference. While acclimation temperature positively affected the upper critical thermal limit, neither aerobic metabolic scope nor thermal preference exhibited such plasticity. Importantly, when given the choice to stay in a habitat reflecting their acclimation temperatures or relocate, fish acclimated to end‐of‐century predicted temperatures (i.e. 31 or 33 °C) preferentially sought out cooler temperatures, those equivalent to long‐term summer averages in their natural habitats (~29 °C). This was also the temperature providing the greatest aerobic metabolic scope and body condition across all treatments. Consequently, acclimation can confer plasticity in some performance traits, but may be an unreliable indicator of the ultimate survival and distribution of mobile stenothermal species under global warming. Conversely, thermal preference can arise long before, and remain long after, the harmful effects of elevated ocean temperatures take hold and may be the primary driver of the escalating poleward migration of species.     

Climatic niche shift predicts thermal trait response in one but not both introductions of the Puerto Rican lizard Anolis cristatellus to Miami, Florida, USA

Global change is predicted to alter environmental conditions for populations in numerous ways; for example, invasive species often experience substantial shifts in climatic conditions during introduction from their native to non-native ranges. Whether these shifts elicit a phenotypic response, and how adaptation and phenotypic plasticity contribute to phenotypic change, are key issues for understanding biological invasions and how populations may respond to local climate change. We combined modeling, field data, and a laboratory experiment to test for changing thermal tolerances during the introduction of the tropical lizard Anolis cristatellus from Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. Species distribution models and bioclimatic data analyses showed lower minimum temperatures, and greater seasonal and annual variation in temperature for Miami compared to Puerto Rico. Two separate introductions of A. cristatellus occurred in Miami about 12 km apart, one in South Miami and the other on Key Biscayne, an offshore island. As predicted from the shift in the thermal climate and the thermal tolerances of other Anolis species in Miami, laboratory acclimation and field acclimatization showed that the introduced South Miami population of A. cristatellus has diverged from its native-range source population by acquiring low-temperature acclimation ability. By contrast, the introduced Key Biscayne population showed little change compared to its source. Our analyses predicted an adaptive response for introduced populations, but our comparisons to native-range sources provided evidence for thermal plasticity in one introduced population but not the other. The rapid acquisition of thermal plasticity by A. cristatellus in South Miami may be advantageous for its long-term persistence there and expansion of its non-native range. Our results also suggest that the common assumption of no trait variation when modeling non-native species distributions is invalid.     

Thermal acclimation of interactions: differential responses to temperature change alter predator-prey relationship

Different species respond differently to environmental change so that species interactions cannot be predicted from single-species performance curves. We tested the hypothesis that interspecific difference in the capacity for thermal acclimation modulates predator-prey interactions. Acclimation of locomotor performance in a predator (Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata) was qualitatively different to that of its prey (eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki). Warm (25°C) acclimated bass made more attacks than cold (15°C) acclimated fish regardless of acute test temperatures (10-30°C), and greater frequency of attacks was associated with increased prey capture success. However, the number of attacks declined at the highest test temperature (30°C). Interestingly, escape speeds of mosquitofish during predation trials were greater than burst speeds measured in a swimming arena, whereas attack speeds of bass were lower than burst speeds. As a result, escape speeds of mosquitofish were greater at warm temperatures (25°C and 30°C) than attack speeds of bass. The decline in the number of attacks and the increase in escape speed of prey means that predation pressure decreases at high temperatures. We show that differential thermal responses affect species interactions even at temperatures that are within thermal tolerance ranges. This thermal sensitivity of predator-prey interactions can be a mechanism by which global warming affects ecological communities.     

Thermal plasticity of photosynthesis: the role of acclimation in forest responses to a warming climate

The increasing air temperatures central to climate change predictions have the potential to alter forest ecosystem function and structure by exceeding temperatures optimal for carbon gain. Such changes are projected to threaten survival of sensitive species, leading to local extinctions, range migrations, and altered forest composition. This study investigated photosynthetic sensitivity to temperature and the potential for acclimation in relation to the climatic provenance of five species of deciduous trees, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus rubra, Quercus falcata, Betula alleghaniensis, and Populus grandidentata. Open‐top chambers supplied three levels of warming (+0, +2, and +4 °C above ambient) over 3 years, tracking natural temperature variability. Optimal temperature for CO₂ assimilation was strongly correlated with daytime temperature in all treatments, but assimilation rates at those optima were comparable. Adjustment of thermal optima was confirmed in all species, whether temperatures varied with season or treatment, and regardless of climate in the species' range or provenance of the plant material. Temperature optima from 17° to 34° were observed. Across species, acclimation potentials varied from 0.55 °C to 1.07 °C per degree change in daytime temperature. Responses to the temperature manipulation were not different from the seasonal acclimation observed in mature indigenous trees, suggesting that photosynthetic responses should not be modeled using static temperature functions, but should incorporate an adjustment to account for acclimation. The high degree of homeostasis observed indicates that direct impacts of climatic warming on forest productivity, species survival, and range limits may be less than predicted by existing models.