Authors
Jessica Meade, Jeremy VanDerWal, Collin Storlie, Stephen Williams, Arnaud Gourret, Andrew Krockenberger, Justin A Welbergen
Publication date
2018/12/21
Journal
Biology Letters
Volume
14
Issue
12
Pages
20180189
Publisher
The Royal Society
Description
Increases in mean temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change increase the frequency and severity of temperature extremes. Although extreme temperature events are likely to become increasingly important drivers of species' response to climate change, the impacts are poorly understood owing mainly to a lack of understanding of species’ physiological responses to extreme temperatures. The physiological response of Pseudochirops archeri (green ringtail possum) to temperature extremes has been well studied, demonstrating that heterothermy is used to reduce evaporative water loss at temperatures greater than 30°C. Dehydration is likely to limit survival when animals are exposed to a critical thermal regime of ≥30°C, for ≥5 h, for ≥4 consecutive days. In this study, we use this physiological information to assess P. archeri's vulnerability to climate change. We identify areas of current thermo …
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