PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jeremy M. Cohen
AU  - Daniel Fink
AU  - Benjamin Zuckerberg
TI  - Spatial and seasonal variation in thermal sensitivity within North American bird species
AID  - 10.1101/2023.03.31.535105
DP  - 2023 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2023.03.31.535105
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/04/03/2023.03.31.535105.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/04/03/2023.03.31.535105.full
AB  - Responses of wildlife to climate change are typically quantified at the species level, but physiological evidence suggests significant intraspecific variation in thermal sensitivity (non-stationarity) given adaptation to local and seasonal environments. Non-stationarity carries important implications for climate change vulnerability; for instance, sensitivity to extreme weather may increase in specific regions or seasons. Here, we leverage high-resolution observational data from eBird to understand regional and seasonal variation in thermal sensitivity for 20 bird species. Across their ranges, most birds demonstrated spatial and seasonal variation in both thermal optimum and breadth, or the temperature and range of temperatures of peak occurrence. Some birds demonstrated constant thermal optima or breadths (stationarity) while others varied according to local and current environmental conditions (non-stationarity). Across species, birds typically invested in either geographic or seasonal adaptation to climate. Intraspecific variation in thermal sensitivity is likely an important but neglected aspect of organismal responses to climate change.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.