Understanding the potential impact of climate change on the behavior and demography of social species: The pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor) as a case study

Abstract

While considerable evidence exists that extreme climate events such as high temperatures and drought are becoming more common, there is growing recognition that we have limited empirical evidence on how wild animals are able to behaviorally and physiologically adjust to these potentially rapid changes. Despite considerable lab-based research on thermal physiological processes in animals, there is relatively little field-based research on how thermal stress affects physiology and behavior in wild animals. Directly relating physiological state to behavioral change is an important step in understanding the ability of species to adapt to changing climatic conditions and is therefore an important research gap to address during both the current and predicted future rapid changes in climate. Given that the ability of animals to adjust to changing conditions can directly impact their fitness, understanding the behavioral and demographic responses of animal populations to current climate events may be an essential way to determine future population viability. By synthesizing the long-term behavioral research on the pied babbler ( Turdoides bicolor ), conducted over the last 18 years, we determine the potential impact of climate change through an examination of behavioral responses to social and environmental factors. By combining our detailed behavioral, demographic and physiological research, we use the pied babbler as a model species to highlight the incredible value of (a) long-term behavioral research and (b) studying populations under natural conditions, to help understand the potential impacts of climate change on wild animals.