title: Experimental evidence for beneficial effects of projected climate change on hibernating amphibians.
abstract: Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates today, experiencing worldwide declines. In recent years considerable effort was invested in exposing the causes of these declines. Climate change has been identified as such a cause; however, the expectable effects of predicted milder, shorter winters on hibernation success of temperate-zone Amphibians have remained controversial, mainly due to a lack of controlled experimental studies. Here we present a laboratory experiment, testing the effects of simulated climate change on hibernating juvenile common toads (Bufo bufo). We simulated hibernation conditions by exposing toadlets to current (1.5 °C) or elevated (4.5 °C) hibernation temperatures in combination with current (91 days) or shortened (61 days) hibernation length. We found that a shorter winter and milder hibernation temperature increased survival of toads during hibernation. Furthermore, the increase in temperature and shortening of the cold period had a synergistic positive effect on body mass change during hibernation. Consequently, while climate change may pose severe challenges for amphibians of the temperate zone during their activity period, the negative effects may be dampened by shorter and milder winters experienced during hibernation.
authors.affiliation: Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1A, 1160 Vienna, Austria.|Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Ottó út 15, 1022 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Bálint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Üveges
authors.affiliation: Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1A, 1160 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mahr
authors.affiliation: Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1A, 1160 Vienna, Austria.|Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Ottó út 15, 1022 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Márk
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szederkényi
authors.affiliation: Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Ottó út 15, 1022 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bókony
authors.affiliation: Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1A, 1160 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoi
authors.affiliation: Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Herman Ottó út 15, 1022 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hettyey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002023:Bufo bufo / Q000502:physiology*; D057231:Climate Change; D006605:Hibernation; D015996:Survival Rate; D013696:Temperature