Meena Abhishek, De Nardo Alessio N, Maggu Komal, Sbilordo Sonja H, Roy Jeannine, Snook Rhonda R, Lüpold Stefan
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
R Soc Open Sci. 2024 Oct 2;11(10):241082. doi: 10.1098/rsos.241082. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Frequent and extreme temperatures associated with climate change pose a major threat to biodiversity, particularly for organisms whose metabolism is strictly linked to ambient temperatures. Many studies have explored thermal effects on survival, but heat-induced fertility loss is emerging as a greater threat to population persistence. However, while evidence is accumulating that both juvenile and adult stages heat exposure can impair fertility in their own ways, much less is known about the immediate and longer-term fitness consequences of repeated heat stress across life stages. To address this knowledge gap, we used male to investigate (i) the cumulative fitness effects of repeated heat stress across life stages, (ii) the potential of recovery from these heat exposures, and (iii) the underlying mechanisms. We found individual and combined effects of chronic juvenile and acute adult heat stress on male fitness traits. These effects tended to exacerbate over several days after brief heat exposure, indicating a substantial fertility loss for these short-lived organisms. Our findings highlight the cumulative and persistent effects of heat stress on fitness. Such combined effects could accelerate population declines, particularly in more vulnerable species, emphasizing the importance of considering reproduction and its recovery for more accurate models of species persistence.
与气候变化相关的频繁和极端温度对生物多样性构成了重大威胁，特别是对于那些新陈代谢与环境温度紧密相连的生物。许多研究探讨了温度对生存的影响，但热诱导的生育力丧失正成为对种群持久性的更大威胁。然而，尽管越来越多的证据表明，幼年和成年阶段的热暴露都会以各自的方式损害生育力，但对于跨生命阶段反复热应激的即时和长期适应性后果，我们所知甚少。为了填补这一知识空白，我们用雄性个体来研究：（i）跨生命阶段反复热应激的累积适应性影响；（ii）从这些热暴露中恢复的潜力；（iii）潜在机制。我们发现了慢性幼年热应激和急性成年热应激对雄性适应性特征的个体和综合影响。这些影响在短暂热暴露后的几天内往往会加剧，这表明这些短命生物的生育力大幅丧失。我们的研究结果突出了热应激对适应性的累积和持久影响。这种综合影响可能会加速种群数量下降，尤其是在更脆弱的物种中，这强调了考虑繁殖及其恢复对于更准确的物种持久性模型的重要性。
