Terrestrial amphibians respond to rapidly changing temperatures with individual plasticity of exploratory behaviour.

0580481 - ÚBO 2025 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Hubáček, Jiří - Gvoždík, Lumír
Terrestrial amphibians respond to rapidly changing temperatures with individual plasticity of exploratory behaviour.
Journal of Thermal Biology. Roč. 119, January (2024), s. 103757. ISSN 0306-4565. E-ISSN 1879-0992
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA21-29169S
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : Behavioural plasticity * Environmental change * Personality * Repeatability * Thermal performance curve
OECD category: Zoology
Impact factor: 2.7, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030645652300298X?via%3Dihub

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 species-specific, 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, within- and 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 repeated-measures 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.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0349248


Research data: Figshare