The ecological consequences of the timing of extreme climate events

Mejía, Elizeth Cinto; Wetzel, William C.

doi:10.1002/ece3.9661

Cited by 5 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(71 reference statements)

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“…We show that variation in the timing of a heatwave event over very short timescales can have drastically different consequences for reproductive success and offspring fitness. These findings highlight the importance of considering when a heatwave occurs relative to the timing of the biological processes it affects (Cinto Mejía & Wetzel, 2023). It is, therefore, crucial for future studies on the organismal effects of heatwaves to carefully consider their experimental design in light of their study system's ecology and life history, as decisions about the timing of the heatwave exposure could lead to markedly different results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…A recent review by Cinto Mejía and Wetzel (2023) highlighted that ‘understanding the ecological consequences of climate change will require ecologists to adopt a temporally explicit approach that considers not just the frequency and duration of [heatwave] events but also when the events occur relative to the biological processes they impact’. Here, we provide the first empirical evidence that variation in the timing of a heatwave event over a short timescale (on the order of days) can have drastically different consequences for reproductive success and offspring fitness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Con Clus Ionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Our study can reveal whether these effects are dependent on the timing of the heatwave event relative to an organism's reproductive cycle. Resolving the role of timing will improve our ability to predict the ecological consequences of heatwaves and identify when organisms are most vulnerable to these extreme weather events (Cinto Mejía & Wetzel, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resolving the role of timing will improve our ability to predict the ecological consequences of heatwaves and identify when organisms are most vulnerable to these extreme weather events (Cinto Mejía & Wetzel, 2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The consequences of heatwaves for animal reproduction are timing‐dependent

Pilakouta,

Sellers,

Barratt

et al. 2023

Functional Ecology

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In light of the increased frequency of heatwaves due to climate change, it is crucial to better understand their potential effects on animal reproduction. Heat stress can affect all aspects of reproduction, including gamete development, fertilisation success, parental care and offspring survival. We may, therefore, expect these effects to be highly sensitive to the timing of a heatwave event relative to an organism's reproductive cycle. Here, we use an insect study system (Nicrophorus vespilloides) to test whether variation in the timing of a heatwave within a short timeframe has differential effects on reproductive success and offspring fitness. We found that heatwaves had little to no effect when they occurred a few days before or after mating, but they were highly detrimental for fitness if they occurred during mating. Individuals that experienced a heatwave during mating were significantly less likely to have a successful breeding bout, had a longer breeding bout, and their offspring were smaller and suffered a lower survival rate. Our study shows that variation in the timing of a heatwave event over very short timescales (on the order of days) can have drastically different consequences for animal reproduction. This work provides novel insights into the vulnerability of organisms at different stages of their reproductive cycle and can improve our ability to make informed predictions about the ecological consequences of heatwaves under climate change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Con Clus Ionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The consequences of heatwaves for animal reproduction are timing‐dependent

Pilakouta,

Sellers,

Barratt

et al. 2023

Functional Ecology

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Biodiversity and Climate Extremes: Known Interactions and Research Gaps

Mahecha,

Bastos,

Bohn

et al. 2024

Earth's Future

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Climate extremes are on the rise. Impacts of extreme climate and weather events on ecosystem services and ultimately human well‐being can be partially attenuated by the organismic, structural, and functional diversity of the affected land surface. However, the ongoing transformation of terrestrial ecosystems through intensified exploitation and management may put this buffering capacity at risk. Here, we summarize the evidence that reductions in biodiversity can destabilize the functioning of ecosystems facing climate extremes. We then explore if impaired ecosystem functioning could, in turn, exacerbate climate extremes. We argue that only a comprehensive approach, incorporating both ecological and hydrometeorological perspectives, enables us to understand and predict the entire feedback system between altered biodiversity and climate extremes. This ambition, however, requires a reformulation of current research priorities to emphasize the bidirectional effects that link ecology and atmospheric processes.

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Predicting organismal response to marine heatwaves using dynamic thermal tolerance landscape models

Villeneuve,

White

2024

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Marine heatwaves (MHWs) can cause thermal stress in marine organisms, experienced as extreme ‘pulses’ against the gradual trend of anthropogenic warming. When thermal stress exceeds organismal capacity to maintain homeostasis, organism survival becomes time‐limited and can result in mass mortality events. Current methods of detecting and categorizing MHWs rely on statistical analysis of historic climatology and do not consider biological effects as a basis of MHW severity. The re‐emergence of ectotherm thermal tolerance landscape models provides a physiological framework for assessing the lethal effects of MHWs by accounting for both the magnitude and duration of extreme heat events. Here, we used a simulation approach to understand the effects of a suite of MHW profiles on organism survival probability across (1) three thermal tolerance adaptive strategies, (2) interannual temperature variation and (3) seasonal timing of MHWs. We identified survival isoclines across MHW magnitude and duration where acute (short duration‐high magnitude) and chronic (long duration‐low magnitude) events had equivalent lethal effects on marine organisms. While most research attention has focused on chronic MHW events, we show similar lethal effects can be experienced by more common but neglected acute marine heat spikes. Critically, a statistical definition of MHWs does not accurately categorize biological mortality. By letting organism responses define the extremeness of a MHW event, we can build a mechanistic understanding of MHW effects from a physiological basis. Organism responses can then be transferred across scales of ecological organization and better predict marine ecosystem shifts to MHWs.

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The ecological consequences of the timing of extreme climate events

Cited by 5 publications

References 57 publications

The consequences of heatwaves for animal reproduction are timing‐dependent

The consequences of heatwaves for animal reproduction are timing‐dependent

Biodiversity and Climate Extremes: Known Interactions and Research Gaps

Predicting organismal response to marine heatwaves using dynamic thermal tolerance landscape models

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