Thermal adaptation in endotherms: Climate and phylogeny interact to determine population-level responses in a wild rat

Glanville, EJ; Murray, SA; Seebacher, F

Thermal adaptation in endotherms: Climate and phylogeny interact to determine population-level responses in a wild rat

Glanville, EJ Murray, SA

Seebacher, F

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Functional Ecology, 2012, 26 (2), pp. 390 - 398
Issue Date:: 2012-04-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Glanville, EJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Murray, SA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7096-1307	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Seebacher, F	en_US
dc.date.issued	2012-04-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Functional Ecology, 2012, 26 (2), pp. 390 - 398	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0269-8463	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28862
dc.description.abstract	The ecology of endotherms is driven by their great energetic need for thermoregulation, which renders mammals and birds particularly vulnerable to environmental temperature and resource fluctuations. Important outstanding questions are whether populations are specialized to their particular climate, and to what extent gene × environment interactions determine thermal responses. Here, we show that phylogenetic relatedness and climate interact to determine metabolic capacities, body temperature and morphology in a wild rat (Rattus fuscipes). Mitochondrial metabolic capacities are greater in warm climate populations, indicating that these responses are not the result of cold adaptation. However, glycolytic capacities, fur thickness and capacity for nonshivering thermogenesis are greater in cool climate populations. In populations from cooler climates, body temperatures are lower, but more variable. Together, these changes lead to substantial energy savings in cool climate populations, although all traits are constrained by phylogenetic relatedness. We demonstrate for the first time that gene×environment interactions determine thermal responses in wild mammal populations, and we suggest that physiological variability among populations may render the species more resilient to climate change because it increases whole-species performance breadth. Climate envelope modelling is therefore insufficient to predict the future impact of climate change. © 2011 The Authors. Functional Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Functional Ecology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01933.x	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Ecology	en_US
dc.title	Thermal adaptation in endotherms: Climate and phylogeny interact to determine population-level responses in a wild rat	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	26	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	26	en_US

Abstract:

The ecology of endotherms is driven by their great energetic need for thermoregulation, which renders mammals and birds particularly vulnerable to environmental temperature and resource fluctuations. Important outstanding questions are whether populations are specialized to their particular climate, and to what extent gene × environment interactions determine thermal responses. Here, we show that phylogenetic relatedness and climate interact to determine metabolic capacities, body temperature and morphology in a wild rat (Rattus fuscipes). Mitochondrial metabolic capacities are greater in warm climate populations, indicating that these responses are not the result of cold adaptation. However, glycolytic capacities, fur thickness and capacity for nonshivering thermogenesis are greater in cool climate populations. In populations from cooler climates, body temperatures are lower, but more variable. Together, these changes lead to substantial energy savings in cool climate populations, although all traits are constrained by phylogenetic relatedness. We demonstrate for the first time that gene×environment interactions determine thermal responses in wild mammal populations, and we suggest that physiological variability among populations may render the species more resilient to climate change because it increases whole-species performance breadth. Climate envelope modelling is therefore insufficient to predict the future impact of climate change. © 2011 The Authors. Functional Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28862