Rabaiotti Daniella, Groom Rosemary, McNutt J Weldon, Watermeyer Jessica, O'Neill Helen M K, Woodroffe Rosie
Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK.
Division of Biosciences Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research University College London London UK.
Ecol Evol. 2021 Jun 4;11(13):8495-8506. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7601. eCollection 2021 Jul.
The impacts of high ambient temperatures on mortality in humans and domestic animals are well-understood. However much less is known about how hot weather affects mortality in wild animals. High ambient temperatures have been associated with African wild dog pup mortality, suggesting that high temperatures might also be linked to high adult mortality.We analyzed mortality patterns in African wild dogs radio-collared in Kenya (0°N), Botswana (20°S), and Zimbabwe (20°S), to examine whether ambient temperature was associated with adult mortality.We found that high ambient temperatures were associated with increased adult wild dog mortality at the Kenya site, and there was some evidence for temperature associations with mortality at the Botswana and Zimbabwe sites.At the Kenya study site, which had the highest human impact, high ambient temperatures were associated with increased risks of wild dogs being killed by people, and by domestic dog diseases. In contrast, temperature was not associated with the risk of snare-related mortality at the Zimbabwe site, which had the second-highest human impact. Causes of death varied markedly between sites.Pack size was positively associated with survival at all three sites.These findings suggest that while climate change may not lead to new causes of mortality, rising temperatures may exacerbate existing anthropogenic threats to this endangered species, with implications for conservation. This evidence suggests that temperature-related mortality, including interactions between temperature and other anthropogenic threats, should be investigated in a greater number of species to understand and mitigate likely impacts of climate change. .
高环境温度对人类和家畜死亡率的影响已广为人知。然而，关于炎热天气如何影响野生动物的死亡率，我们了解得却少得多。高环境温度与非洲野犬幼崽的死亡率有关，这表明高温可能也与成年野犬的高死亡率有关。我们分析了在肯尼亚（北纬0°）、博茨瓦纳（南纬20°）和津巴布韦（南纬20°）佩戴无线电项圈的非洲野犬的死亡模式，以研究环境温度是否与成年野犬的死亡率相关。我们发现，在肯尼亚的研究地点，高环境温度与成年野犬死亡率的增加有关，并且在博茨瓦纳和津巴布韦的研究地点有一些证据表明温度与死亡率有关。在人类影响最大的肯尼亚研究地点，高环境温度与野犬被人类杀死以及感染家犬疾病的风险增加有关。相比之下，在人类影响第二大的津巴布韦研究地点，温度与陷阱相关的死亡率风险无关。不同地点的死亡原因差异显著。群体规模在所有三个地点都与生存率呈正相关。这些发现表明，虽然气候变化可能不会导致新的死亡原因，但气温上升可能会加剧对这种濒危物种现有的人为威胁，对保护工作产生影响。这一证据表明，应该对更多物种研究与温度相关的死亡率，包括温度与其他人为威胁之间的相互作用，以了解和减轻气候变化可能产生的影响。
