Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites
Abstract Climatic warming is altering the behavior of individuals and the composition of communities. However, recent studies have shown that the impact of warming on ectotherms varies geographically: species at warmer sites where environmental temperatures are closer to their upper critical thermal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-03-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.473 |
| _version_ | 1818693468470378496 |
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| author | Katharine L. Stuble Shannon L. Pelini Sarah E. Diamond David A. Fowler Robert R. Dunn Nathan J. Sanders |
| author_facet | Katharine L. Stuble Shannon L. Pelini Sarah E. Diamond David A. Fowler Robert R. Dunn Nathan J. Sanders |
| author_sort | Katharine L. Stuble |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Climatic warming is altering the behavior of individuals and the composition of communities. However, recent studies have shown that the impact of warming on ectotherms varies geographically: species at warmer sites where environmental temperatures are closer to their upper critical thermal limits are more likely to be negatively impacted by warming than are species inhabiting relatively cooler sites. We used a large‐scale experimental temperature manipulation to warm intact forest ant assemblages in the field and examine the impacts of chronic warming on foraging at a southern (North Carolina) and northern (Massachusetts) site in eastern North America. We examined the influence of temperature on the abundance and recruitment of foragers as well as the number of different species observed foraging. Finally, we examined the relationship between the mean temperature at which a species was found foraging and the critical thermal maximum temperature of that species, relating functional traits to behavior. We found that forager abundance and richness were related to the experimental increase in temperature at the southern site, but not the northern site. Additionally, individual species responded differently to temperature: some species foraged more under warmer conditions, whereas others foraged less. Importantly, these species‐specific responses were related to functional traits of species (at least at the Duke Forest site). Species with higher critical thermal maxima had greater forager densities at higher temperatures than did species with lower critical thermal maxima. Our results indicate that while climatic warming may alter patterns of foraging activity in predictable ways, these shifts vary among species and between sites. More southerly sites and species with lower critical thermal maxima are likely to be at greater risk to ongoing climatic warming. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:14:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-efa425f902f54f53badc346322bb4d54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:14:10Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-efa425f902f54f53badc346322bb4d542022-12-21T21:47:03ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582013-03-013348249110.1002/ece3.473Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sitesKatharine L. Stuble0Shannon L. Pelini1Sarah E. Diamond2David A. Fowler3Robert R. Dunn4Nathan J. Sanders5Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee 37996Department of Biological Sciences Bowling Green State University Bowling Green Ohio 43403Department of Biology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee 37996Department of Biology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee 37996Abstract Climatic warming is altering the behavior of individuals and the composition of communities. However, recent studies have shown that the impact of warming on ectotherms varies geographically: species at warmer sites where environmental temperatures are closer to their upper critical thermal limits are more likely to be negatively impacted by warming than are species inhabiting relatively cooler sites. We used a large‐scale experimental temperature manipulation to warm intact forest ant assemblages in the field and examine the impacts of chronic warming on foraging at a southern (North Carolina) and northern (Massachusetts) site in eastern North America. We examined the influence of temperature on the abundance and recruitment of foragers as well as the number of different species observed foraging. Finally, we examined the relationship between the mean temperature at which a species was found foraging and the critical thermal maximum temperature of that species, relating functional traits to behavior. We found that forager abundance and richness were related to the experimental increase in temperature at the southern site, but not the northern site. Additionally, individual species responded differently to temperature: some species foraged more under warmer conditions, whereas others foraged less. Importantly, these species‐specific responses were related to functional traits of species (at least at the Duke Forest site). Species with higher critical thermal maxima had greater forager densities at higher temperatures than did species with lower critical thermal maxima. Our results indicate that while climatic warming may alter patterns of foraging activity in predictable ways, these shifts vary among species and between sites. More southerly sites and species with lower critical thermal maxima are likely to be at greater risk to ongoing climatic warming.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.473Climate changecritical thermal maximumforagingthermal tolerancewarming |
| spellingShingle | Katharine L. Stuble Shannon L. Pelini Sarah E. Diamond David A. Fowler Robert R. Dunn Nathan J. Sanders Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites Ecology and Evolution Climate change critical thermal maximum foraging thermal tolerance warming |
| title | Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites |
| title_full | Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites |
| title_fullStr | Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites |
| title_short | Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites |
| title_sort | foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming a test at two sites |
| topic | Climate change critical thermal maximum foraging thermal tolerance warming |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.473 |
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