Predation Life History Responses to Increased Temperature Variability |
| |
| Authors: | Miguel Barbosa Joao Pestana Amadeu M. V. M. Soares |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.; 2. Centre for Biological Diversity and Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom.; 3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Produção Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Tocantins, Campus de Gurupi, Gurupi, Brasil.; University of Western Sydney, Australia, |
| |
| Abstract: | The evolution of life history traits is regulated by energy expenditure, which is, in turn, governed by temperature. The forecasted increase in temperature variability is expected to impose greater stress to organisms, in turn influencing the balance of energy expenditure and consequently life history responses. Here we examine how increased temperature variability affects life history responses to predation. Individuals reared under constant temperatures responded to different levels of predation risk as appropriate: namely, by producing greater number of neonates of smaller sizes and reducing the time to first brood. In contrast, we detected no response to predation regime when temperature was more variable. In addition, population growth rate was slowest among individuals reared under variable temperatures. Increased temperature variability also affected the development of inducible defenses. The combined effects of failing to respond to predation risk, slower growth rate and the miss-match development of morphological defenses supports suggestions that increased variability in temperature poses a greater risk for species adaptation than that posed by a mean shift in temperature. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
