Publication details
Terrestrial amphibians respond to rapidly changing temperatures with individual plasticity of exploratory behaviour
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Thermal Biology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103757 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103757 |
| Keywords | Behavioural plasticity; Environmental change; Personality; Repeatability; Thermal performance curve |
| Description | Terrestrial ectotherms react to acute changes in environmental temperatures by adjusting their behaviour. Evaluating the adaptive potential of these behavioural adjustments requires information on their repeatability and plasticity. We examined behavioural response (exploration) to acute temperature change in two amphibian taxa, alpine (Ichthyosaura alpestris) and smooth (Lissotriton vulgaris) newts. These responses were investigated at both population and individual levels under multiple thermal contexts (dimensions), represented by the direction and range of changing temperature and rearing thermal regimes. Population-level analyses showed speciesspecific, non-additive effects of direction and range of temperature change on acute thermal reaction norms for exploration, but explained only a low amount (7-23%) of total variation in exploration. In contrast, withinand among-individual variation in acute thermal reaction norm parameters explained 42-50% of total variation in the examined trait. Although immediate thermal responses varied among individuals (repeatability = 0.07 to 0.53), they were largely shaped by environmental contexts during repeated trials. We conclude that these amphibians respond to acute temperature change through individual plasticity of behavioural traits. A repeatedmeasures approach under multiple thermal contexts will be needed to identify the selective and plastic potential of behavioural responses used by juvenile newts and perhaps other ectotherm taxa to cope with rapidly changing environmental temperatures. |