Abstract
Temperature is a core component of a species' fundamental niche. At the fine scale over which most organisms experience climate (mm to ha), temperature depends upon the amount of radiation reaching the Earth's surface, which is principally governed by vegetation. Tropical regions have undergone widespread and extreme changes to vegetation, particularly through the degradation and conversion of rainforests. As most terrestrial biodiversity is in the tropics, and many of these species possess narrow thermal limits, it is important to identify local thermal impacts of rainforest degradation and conversion. We collected pantropical, site‐level (<1 ha) temperature data from the literature to quantify impacts of land‐use change on local temperatures, and to examine whether this relationship differed aboveground relative to belowground and between wet and dry seasons. We found that local temperature in our sample sites was higher than primary forest in all human‐impacted land‐use types (N = 113,894 daytime temperature measurements from 25 studies). Warming was pronounced following conversion of forest to agricultural land (minimum +1.6°C, maximum +13.6°C), but minimal and nonsignificant when compared to forest degradation (e.g., by selective logging; minimum +1°C, maximum +1.1°C). The effect was buffered belowground (minimum buffering 0°C, maximum buffering 11.4°C), whereas seasonality had minimal impact (maximum buffering 1.9°C). We conclude that forest‐dependent species that persist following conversion of rainforest have experienced substantial local warming. Deforestation pushes these species closer to their thermal limits, making it more likely that compounding effects of future perturbations, such as severe droughts and global warming, will exceed species' tolerances. By contrast, degraded forests and belowground habitats may provide important refugia for thermally restricted species in landscapes dominated by agricultural land.
Highlights
It is well established that temperature is important in ecology, for everything from biochemistry, to physiology, to biogeography (Kearney, Shine, Porter, & Wake, 2009; Kingsolver, 2009; Puurtinen et al, 2015; Thomas et al, 2004)
The majority of organisms experience temperature at much finer spatial scale (Gillingham, 2010; Suggitt et al, 2011) than assumed in species distribution models, and at local scales, temperature is more dependent on local factors (Suggitt et al, 2011) than on regional or global atmospheric circulation (Davin & De Noblet- Ducoudr, 2010; Oke, 1987; Pielke et al, 2011; Wiens & Bachelet, 2010)
We examine how land-use change affects daytime temperature at fine-scale spatial resolution, and we quantify the effects of: (1) forest conversion compared with forest degradation; (2) belowground compared to aboveground; and (3) wet season conditions compared to the dry season
Summary
It is well established that temperature is important in ecology, for everything from biochemistry, to physiology, to biogeography (Kearney, Shine, Porter, & Wake, 2009; Kingsolver, 2009; Puurtinen et al, 2015; Thomas et al, 2004). The majority of organisms experience temperature at much finer spatial scale (Gillingham, 2010; Suggitt et al, 2011) than assumed in species distribution models (often >100 km2), and at local scales, temperature is more dependent on local factors (Suggitt et al, 2011) than on regional or global atmospheric circulation (Davin & De Noblet- Ducoudr, 2010; Oke, 1987; Pielke et al, 2011; Wiens & Bachelet, 2010) One such local factor is vegetation cover, which influences temperature through direct absorption and reflection of incident solar radiation (Murcia, 1995; Oke, 1987; Snyder, Foley, Hitchman, & Delire, 2004) and through evapotranspiration, by determining the amount of thermal energy dissipated through the evaporation of water as opposed to a change in temperature (Findell, Shevliakova, Milly, & Stouffer, 2007; Lawrence & Vandecar, 2015; Oke, 1987).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
