Heat Waves, the New Normal: Summertime Temperature Extremes Will Impact Animals, Ecosystems, and Human Communities

Stillman, Jonathon H.

doi:10.1152/physiol.00040.2018

Cited by 282 publications

(238 citation statements)

References 133 publications

(161 reference statements)

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“…, McKechnie and Wolf , Geirinhas et al. , Stillman ), have already increased in frequency (Seneviratne et al. ), and are predicted to further increase in frequency with climate change (Meehl and Tebaldi , Seneviratne et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), and are predicted to further increase in frequency with climate change (Meehl and Tebaldi , Seneviratne et al. , Stillman ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species interactions can likely alter host response to a variety of stressors, but we focus on temperature because it is known to alter freeliving species and host-parasite interactions (Pincebourde et al 2008, Macnab and Barber 2012, Moln ar et al 2012, Gehman et al 2018, Tesla et al 2018. Further, we highlight the effect of heatwaves, as they are often ecologically consequential (Paine et al 1998, McKechnie and Wolf 2010, Geirinhas et al 2019, Stillman 2019, have already increased in frequency (Seneviratne et al 2014), and are predicted to further increase in frequency with climate change (Meehl and Tebaldi 2004, Seneviratne et al 2014, Stillman 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Symbiotic endolithic microbes alter host morphology and reduce host vulnerability to high environmental temperatures

Gehman

Harley

2019

Ecosphere

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Thermal stresses, such as those associated with global warming, have the potential to change the strength and even the direction of interspecific interactions. On rocky shores, bio‐eroding microbial endoliths infect the mussel Mytilus californianus. Infestation by microbial endoliths can weaken the shell and lead to mechanical failure and death, increased vulnerability to predation, mechanical damage, etc. However, endolith infestation is associated with the loss of the dark‐colored periostracum, exposing the underlying light gray prismatic layer of the shell and potentially reducing stressful heat gain during low tide. We explore the consequences of the mussel–endolith relationship on mussel tolerance to high environmental temperature through a series of experimental manipulations and comparative observations. Experimental sterilization of the shell surface reduces the rate of periostracum loss, suggesting that the change in shell surface color is indeed caused by microbes residing on/in the shell. Eroded shells absorbed less solar energy than shells with their periostracum intact, and mussel mimics with infested shells remained cooler on sunny days. Manipulation of shell color in the field resulted in higher mortality in black‐painted mussels relative to gray‐painted or naturally eroded mussels. Furthermore, following exceedingly hot weather, mortality was significantly lower for heavily infested, light‐colored mussels than for lightly infested, dark‐colored mussels. Thus, although shell‐boring microbes have the potential to act as parasites under the majority of conditions experienced by mussels, they may be critical mutualists during periods of intense thermal stress. This context‐dependent symbiosis may allow mussels to occupy higher shore levels than would otherwise be possible, and thus indirectly benefit the hundreds of species which use mussel beds as habitat.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), and are predicted to further increase in frequency with climate change (Meehl and Tebaldi , Seneviratne et al. , Stillman ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Symbiotic endolithic microbes alter host morphology and reduce host vulnerability to high environmental temperatures

Gehman

Harley

2019

Ecosphere

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“…These impacts scale from individuals to 79 population growth rates [29,30]. Similarly, nonlinear TPCs suggest that higher frequency or 80 duration of exposure to temperature extremes, rather than longer-term temperature averages, 81 shape growth and mortality [31] due to species' asymmetric responses to higher temperatures 82 and extremes [20]. Collectively, these nonlinear responses and intermittent exposures to thermal 83 extremes suggest that temperature variability can alter population dynamics in complex ways not 84 explained by warming of average temperatures alone [7, 30,32].…”

Section: Introduction 36mentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature variability alters the stability and thresholds for collapse of interacting species

Dee

Okamoto

Gårdmark

et al. 2020

Preprint

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18Temperature variability and extremes can have profound impacts on populations and ecological 19 communities. Predicting impacts of thermal variability poses a challenge because it has both 20 direct physiological effects and indirect effects through species interactions. In addition, 21 differences in thermal performance between predators and prey and non-linear averaging of 22 temperature-dependent performance can result in complex and counterintuitive population 23 2 dynamics in response to climate change. Yet the combined consequences of these effects remain 24 underexplored. Here, modeling temperature-dependent predator-prey dynamics, we study how 25 changes in temperature variability affect population size, collapse, and stable coexistence of both 26 predator and prey, relative to under constant environments or warming alone. We find that the 27 effects of temperature variation on interacting species can lead to a diversity of outcomes, from 28 predator collapse to stable coexistence, depending on interaction strengths and differences in 29 species' thermal performance. Temperature variability also alters predictions about population 30 collapse -in some cases allowing predators to persist for longer than predicted when considering 31 warming alone, and in others accelerating collapse. To inform management responses that are 32 robust to future climates with increasing temperature variability and extremes, we need to 33 incorporate the consequences of temperature variation in complex ecosystems. 34 35 a greater risk to species than increases in mean temperature [7,8,11], predicting the importance 47 of temperature variability and extremes for populations, communities, and the ecosystem 48 functions and services they support remains challenging. First, temperature can have both direct 49 and indirect effects that create complex feedbacks and dynamics [12]. Directly, temperature 50 affects species through physiological performance. But temperature can also impact species 51 indirectly, as shown for warming [13,14], by increasing or decreasing important resources or 52 prey species (in turn affecting consumers and predators), changing competitive abilities (altering 53 prey abundance distributions), and altering feeding rates and top-down control (affecting prey) 54 [15][16][17][18]. Second, even without shifts in mean temperatures, temperature variability can alter 55 mean vital rates because of non-linear relationships between temperature and processes including 56 growth, reproduction, and mortality (Fig 1; [19]). As a result, the responses of populations to 57 increasing temperature variability and extremes induced by climate change, especially in a 58 community context, remains a key research frontier in marine population dynamics, community 59 ecology, and fisheries science. 60Directly, temperature variability can impact populations of species in a variety of ways, 61including by altering the rates of fundamental processes that determine population size, 62 extinction risk, and productivity. Increases i...

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“…Owing to global climate change, the average temperatures at the Earth's surface, as well as the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as summer heatwaves, are increasing (Easterling et al, 2000;Karl & Trenberth, 2003;Kirtman et al, 2013;Meehl & Tebaldi, 2004;Stillman, 2019). These changes can have strong effects on organisms that escalate to higher levels of biological organisation such as populations and communities (Parmesan & Yohe, 2003;Walther, 2010;Walther et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and transgenerational effects of an experimental heatwave on early life stages in a freshwater snail

Leicht

Seppälä

2019

Freshwater Biology

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Global climate change imposes a serious threat to natural populations of many species. Estimates of the effects of climate change‐mediated environmental stresses are, however, often based only on their direct effects on organisms, and neglect the potential transgenerational (e.g. maternal) effects. We tested whether high temperature (i.e. an experimental heatwave), which is known to reduce the performance of adult Lymnaea stagnalis snails, affects the produced offspring (eggs and hatchlings) through maternal effects, and how strong these effects are compared with the effects of direct exposure of offspring to high temperature. We examined the effect of maternal thermal environment (15°C versus 25°C) on per offspring investment (egg size), and the role of both maternal and offspring thermal environments (15°C versus 25°C) on hatching success and developmental time of eggs, offspring survival after hatching, and hatchling size at the age of 5 weeks. Exposure of mothers to high temperature reduced the size of oviposited eggs, increased their hatching success, and also made the onset of hatching earlier. However, high maternal temperature reduced the survival and the final size of hatched juveniles. Direct exposure of offspring to high temperature reduced their survival (both eggs and hatchlings) but increased the developmental rate and growth of those individuals that survived. Interestingly, the magnitude of maternal effects on hatching success of eggs and hatchling survival were similar to the direct effects of high temperature. Our results indicate that heatwaves can affect natural populations through transgenerational maternal effects and that the magnitude of those effects can be equally strong to the direct effects of temperature, although this depends on the trait considered. These findings highlight the importance of considering the transgenerational effects of climate warming when estimating its effects in the wild.

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Heat Waves, the New Normal: Summertime Temperature Extremes Will Impact Animals, Ecosystems, and Human Communities

Cited by 282 publications

References 133 publications

Symbiotic endolithic microbes alter host morphology and reduce host vulnerability to high environmental temperatures

Symbiotic endolithic microbes alter host morphology and reduce host vulnerability to high environmental temperatures

Temperature variability alters the stability and thresholds for collapse of interacting species

Direct and transgenerational effects of an experimental heatwave on early life stages in a freshwater snail

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