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Repeatability and correlation of physiological traits: Do ectotherms have a "thermal type"?

ABSTRACT: Across a range of taxa, individuals within a species differ in suites of correlated traits. These trait complexes, known as syndromes, can have dramatic evolutionary consequences as they do not evolve independently but rather as a unit. Current research focuses primarily on syndromes relating to aspects of behavior and life history. What is less clear is whether physiological traits also form a syndrome. We measured 10 thermal traits in the delicate skink, Lampropholis delicata, to test this idea. Repeatability was calculated and their across-context correlations evaluated. Our results were in alignment with our predictions in that individual thermal traits varied consistently and were structured into a physiological syndrome, which we are referring to as the thermal behavior syndrome (TBS). Within this syndrome, lizards exhibited a "thermal type" with each being ranked along a cold-hot continuum. Hot types had faster sprint speeds and higher preferred body temperatures, whereas the opposite was true for cold types. We conclude that physiological traits may evolve as a single unit driven by the need to maintain optimal temperatures that enable fitness-related behaviors to be maximized.

SUBMITTER: Goulet CT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5243194 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Repeatability and correlation of physiological traits: Do ectotherms have a "thermal type"?

Goulet Celine T CT Thompson Michael B MB Chapple David G DG

Ecology and evolution 20161222 2

Across a range of taxa, individuals within a species differ in suites of correlated traits. These trait complexes, known as syndromes, can have dramatic evolutionary consequences as they do not evolve independently but rather as a unit. Current research focuses primarily on syndromes relating to aspects of behavior and life history. What is less clear is whether physiological traits also form a syndrome. We measured 10 thermal traits in the delicate skink, <i>Lampropholis delicata</i>, to test t ...[more]

PMID: 28116065

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Project description:Climate change is affecting biodiversity and ecosystem function worldwide, and the lowland tropics are of special concern because organisms living in this region experience temperatures that are close to their upper thermal limits. However, it remains unclear how and whether tropical lowland species will be able to cope with the predicted pace of climate warming. Additionally, there is growing interest in examining how quickly thermal physiological traits have evolved across taxa, and whether thermal physiological traits are evolutionarily conserved or labile. We measured critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and minimum (CTmin) in 56 species of lowland Amazonian frogs to determine the extent of phylogenetic conservatism in tolerance to heat and cold, and to predict species' vulnerability to climate change. The species we studied live in sympatry and represent ~65% of the known alpha diversity at our study site. Given that critical thermal limits may have evolved differently in response to different temperature constraints, we tested whether CTmax and CTmin exhibit different rates of evolutionary change. Measuring both critical thermal traits allowed us to estimate species' thermal breadth and infer their potential to respond to abrupt changes in temperature (warming and cooling). Additionally, we assessed the contribution of life history traits and found that both critical thermal traits were correlated with species' body size and microhabitat use. Specifically, small direct-developing frogs in the Strabomantidae family appear to be at highest risk of thermal stress while tree frogs (Hylidae) and narrow mouthed frogs (Microhylidae) tolerate higher temperatures. While CTmax and CTmin had considerable variation within and among families, both critical thermal traits exhibited similar rates of evolutionary change. Our results suggest that 4% of lowland rainforest frogs assessed will experience temperatures exceeding their CTmax, 25% might be moderately affected and 70% are unlikely to experience pronounced heat stress under a hypothetical 3°C temperature increase.

Dataset Information

Repeatability and correlation of physiological traits: Do ectotherms have a "thermal type"?

Publications

Repeatability and correlation of physiological traits: Do ectotherms have a "thermal type"?

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