Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Capuchinos de Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Sci Adv. 2024 Nov 29;10(48):eadq6629. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adq6629.
Rising temperatures due to climate change are predicted to threaten the persistence of wild animals, but there is little evidence that climate change has pushed species beyond their thermal tolerance. The immune system is an ideal avenue to assess the effects of climate change because immune performance is sensitive to changes in temperature and immune competency can affect reproductive success. We investigate the effect of rising temperatures on a biomarker of nonspecific immune performance in a wild population of capuchin monkeys and provide compelling evidence that immune performance is associated with ambient temperature. Critically, we found that immune performance in young individuals is more sensitive to high temperatures compared to other age groups. Coupled with evidence of rising temperatures in the region, our results offer insight into how climate change will affect the immune system of wild mammals.
由于气候变化导致的气温上升预计将威胁野生动物的生存，但几乎没有证据表明气候变化已经使物种超出了它们的耐热极限。免疫系统是评估气候变化影响的理想途径，因为免疫性能对温度变化敏感，而免疫能力会影响繁殖成功率。我们调查了在一个野生卷尾猴群体中，升高的温度对非特异性免疫性能生物标志物的影响，并提供了有力的证据表明免疫性能与环境温度有关。至关重要的是，我们发现年轻个体的免疫性能对高温的敏感性高于其他年龄组。结合该地区气温上升的证据，我们的研究结果深入了解了气候变化将如何影响野生哺乳动物的免疫系统。
