title: Impact of global warming at the range margins: phenotypic plasticity and behavioral thermoregulation will buffer an endemic amphibian.
abstract: When dispersal is not an option to evade warming temperatures, compensation through behavior, plasticity, or evolutionary adaptation is essential to prevent extinction. In this work, we evaluated whether there is physiological plasticity in the thermal performance curve (TPC) of maximum jumping speed in individuals acclimated to current and projected temperatures and whether there is an opportunity for behavioral thermoregulation in the desert landscape where inhabits the northernmost population of the endemic frog Pleurodema thaul. Our results indicate that individuals acclimated to 20°C and 25°C increased the breath of their TPCs by shifting their upper limits with respect to when they were acclimated at 10°C. In addition, even when dispersal is not possible for this population, the landscape is heterogeneous enough to offer opportunities for behavioral thermoregulation. In particular, under current climatic conditions, behavioral thermoregulation is not compulsory as available operative temperatures are encompassed within the population TPC limits. However, for severe projected temperatures under climate change, behavioral thermoregulation will be required in the sunny patches. In overall, our results suggest that this population of Pleurodema thaul will be able to endure the worst projected scenario of climate warming as it has not only the physiological capacities but also the environmental opportunities to regulate its body temperature behaviorally.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering & Technology, University of Tasmania Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Aravena
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte Coquimbo, Chile.
authors.forename: Avia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Mendez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: Sergio A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Estay
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gaitán-Espitia
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barria-Oyarzo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bartheld
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: Leonardo D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Bacigalupe
keywords: Amphibian; behavioral thermoregulation; global warming; operative temperature; phenotypic plasticity; thermal performance curve; thermal tolerance