Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration

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dc.contributor.authorAlbright, Thomas P
dc.contributor.authorMutiibwa, Denis
dc.contributor.authorGerson, Alexander R
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Eric Krabbe
dc.contributor.authorTalbot, William A
dc.contributor.authorO’Neill, Jacqueline J
dc.contributor.authorMcKechnie, Andrew E
dc.contributor.authorWolf, Blair O
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-04T08:45:39Z
dc.date.available2017-08-04T08:45:39Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractExtreme high environmental temperatures produce a variety of consequences for wildlife, including mass die-offs. Heat waves are increasing in frequency, intensity, and extent, and are projected to increase further under climate change. However, the spatial and temporal dynamics of die-off risk are poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of heat waves on evaporative water loss (EWL) and survival in five desert passerine birds across the southwestern United States using a combination of physiological data, mechanistically informed models, and hourly geospatial temperature data. We ask how rates of EWL vary with temperature across species; how frequently, over what areas, and how rapidly lethal dehydration occurs; how EWL and die-off risk vary with body mass; and how die-off risk is affected by climate warming. We find that smaller-bodied passerines are subject to higher rates of mass-specific EWL than larger-bodied counterparts and thus encounter potentially lethal conditions much more frequently, over shorter daily intervals, and over larger geographic areas. Warming by 4 °C greatly expands the extent, frequency, and intensity of dehydration risk, and introduces new threats for larger passerine birds, particularly those with limited geographic ranges. Our models reveal that increasing air temperatures and heat wave occurrence will potentially have important impacts on the water balance, daily activity, and geographic distribution of arid-zone birds. Impacts may be exacerbated by chronic effects and interactions with other environmental changes. This work underscores the importance of acute risks of high temperatures, particularly for small-bodied species, and suggests conservation of thermal refugia and water sources.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationAlbright, T. P., Mutiibwa, D., Gerson, A. R., Smith, E. K., Talbot, W. A., , ... Wolf, B. O. (2017). Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration. <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24845en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationAlbright, Thomas P, Denis Mutiibwa, Alexander R Gerson, Eric Krabbe Smith, William A Talbot, , Andrew E McKechnie, and Blair O Wolf "Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration." <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> (2017) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24845en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationAlbright, T. P., Mutiibwa, D., Gerson, A. R., Smith, E. K., Talbot, W. A., O’Neill, J. J., ... & Wolf, B. O. (2017). Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201613625.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1091-6490en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Albright, Thomas P AU - Mutiibwa, Denis AU - Gerson, Alexander R AU - Smith, Eric Krabbe AU - Talbot, William A AU - O’Neill, Jacqueline J AU - McKechnie, Andrew E AU - Wolf, Blair O AB - Extreme high environmental temperatures produce a variety of consequences for wildlife, including mass die-offs. Heat waves are increasing in frequency, intensity, and extent, and are projected to increase further under climate change. However, the spatial and temporal dynamics of die-off risk are poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of heat waves on evaporative water loss (EWL) and survival in five desert passerine birds across the southwestern United States using a combination of physiological data, mechanistically informed models, and hourly geospatial temperature data. We ask how rates of EWL vary with temperature across species; how frequently, over what areas, and how rapidly lethal dehydration occurs; how EWL and die-off risk vary with body mass; and how die-off risk is affected by climate warming. We find that smaller-bodied passerines are subject to higher rates of mass-specific EWL than larger-bodied counterparts and thus encounter potentially lethal conditions much more frequently, over shorter daily intervals, and over larger geographic areas. Warming by 4 °C greatly expands the extent, frequency, and intensity of dehydration risk, and introduces new threats for larger passerine birds, particularly those with limited geographic ranges. Our models reveal that increasing air temperatures and heat wave occurrence will potentially have important impacts on the water balance, daily activity, and geographic distribution of arid-zone birds. Impacts may be exacerbated by chronic effects and interactions with other environmental changes. This work underscores the importance of acute risks of high temperatures, particularly for small-bodied species, and suggests conservation of thermal refugia and water sources. DA - 2017 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2017 SM - 1091-6490 T1 - Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration TI - Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24845 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/24845
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationAlbright TP, Mutiibwa D, Gerson AR, Smith EK, Talbot WA, , et al. Mapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2017; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24845.en_ZA
dc.languageengen_ZA
dc.publisherNational Academy of Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentPercy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.sourceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesen_ZA
dc.source.urihttp://www.pnas.org/
dc.titleMapping evaporative water loss in desert passerines reveals an expanding threat of lethal dehydrationen_ZA
dc.typeJournal Articleen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceArticleen_ZA
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