RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Spatial and seasonal variation in thermal sensitivity within North American bird species
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2023.03.31.535105
DO 10.1101/2023.03.31.535105
A1 Jeremy M. Cohen
A1 Daniel Fink
A1 Benjamin Zuckerberg
YR 2023
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/04/03/2023.03.31.535105.abstract
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.