Abstract
The proportion of organisms exposed to warm conditions is predicted to increase during global warming. To better understand how bats might respond to climate change, we aimed to obtain the first data on how use of torpor, a crucial survival strategy of small bats, is affected by temperature in the tropics. Over two mild winters, tropical free-ranging bats (Nyctophilus bifax, 10 g, n = 13) used torpor on 95% of study days and were torpid for 33.5±18.8% of 113 days measured. Torpor duration was temperature-dependent and an increase in ambient temperature by the predicted 2°C for the 21st century would decrease the time in torpor to 21.8%. However, comparisons among Nyctophilus populations show that regional phenotypic plasticity attenuates temperature effects on torpor patterns. Our data suggest that heterothermy is important for energy budgeting of bats even under warm conditions and that flexible torpor use will enhance bats’ chance of survival during climate change.
Highlights
It is predicted that global warming will expose organisms to new thermal challenges and will result in poleward or altitudinal shifts of animals [1]
The field study was undertaken over two consecutive austral winters in June 2008 and July/August 2009 at Djiru National Park (17u509S, 146u039E), located in the tropical north of the Australian east coast and within the northern parts of the distribution range of N. bifax [37]
Our study provides the first long-term quantitative data of torpor use and patterns in a tropical bat in its natural environment
Summary
It is predicted that global warming will expose organisms to new thermal challenges and will result in poleward or altitudinal shifts of animals [1]. Endothermic mammals, which have received little attention with regard to climate change [5], may adjust form and function to better suit the thermal conditions they were exposed to during their development [6,7]. This is especially true for heterothermic mammals capable of expressing torpor, which are known to be highly flexible in adjusting their energy requirements seasonally and regionally [8,9,10,11,12,13]. The phenotypic plasticity of energy expenditure afforded by the opportunistic use of torpor appears to be a key factor in reducing the risk of extinction in mammals [14,15] and may be crucial in dealing with climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances
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