Challenges of quantifying direct heat stress effects of climate change on seabirds

The importance of heat stress as a consequence of climate climate change is often overlooked for seabirds. As endotherms, seabirds must actively thermoregulate at temperatures above their thermoneutral zone, or risk lethal hyperthermia. Although essential activities (e.g. foraging, breeding) may be traded off for thermoregulatory behaviors during periods of heat stress, a recent report by Olin et al. (2024; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 737:147–160 in this Theme Section) is one of very few that directly link this to demography. We argue that heat stress effects, which have strong theoretical support, are underreported directly because large-scale mortality events are rare, and small-scale events are hard to identify and easily obscured by indirect trophic effects. Quantifying heat stress effects on seabirds is necessary to understand fully the threats from climate change but requires prioritizing research in the following areas: developing methods to attribute heat mortality, determining baseline levels of heat mortality, elucidating ecological and organismal differences that underlie heat stress sensitivity, investigating the importance of possible sublethal mechanisms, and separating heat stress trade-offs from indirect effects of climate.

Files

Metadata

Work Title Challenges of quantifying direct heat stress effects of climate change on seabirds
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Stephen A. Oswald
  2. Jennifer M. Arnold
Keyword
  1. Climate change
  2. Heat stress
  3. Seabirds
  4. Trade-offs
License CC BY 4.0 (Attribution)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Publication Date June 1, 2024
Subject
  1. Seabird Ecology
  2. Climate Change
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14324
Related URLs
Deposited November 21, 2024

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Updated
  • Added Creator Stephen A. Oswald
  • Added Creator Jennifer M. Arnold
  • Updated Work Title, Publisher, Publisher Identifier (DOI), and 2 more Show Changes
    Work Title
    • The challenges of quantifying direct heat stress effects of climate change for seabirds
    • Challenges of quantifying direct heat stress effects of climate change on seabirds
    Publisher
    • Marine Ecology - Progress Series
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14324
    Description
    • <p>The importance of heat stress as a consequence of climate climate change is often overlooked for seabirds. As endotherms, seabirds must actively thermoregulate at temperatures above their thermoneutral zone, or risk lethal hyperthermia. Although essential activities (e.g. foraging, breeding) may be traded off for thermoregulatory behaviors during periods of heat stress, a recent report by Olin et al. (2024; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 737:147–160 in this Theme Section) is one of very few that directly link this to demography. We argue that heat stress effects, which have strong theoretical support, are underreported directly because large-scale mortality events are rare, and small-scale events are hard to identify and easily obscured by indirect trophic effects. Quantifying heat stress effects on seabirds is necessary to understand fully the threats from climate change but requires prioritizing research in the following areas: developing methods to attribute heat mortality, determining baseline levels of heat mortality, elucidating ecological and organismal differences that underlie heat stress sensitivity, investigating the importance of possible sublethal mechanisms, and separating heat stress trade-offs from indirect effects of climate.</p>
    Publication Date
    • 2024-06-01
  • Updated
  • Updated Keyword, Subject, Related URLs Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Climate change, Heat stress, Seabirds, Trade-offs
    Subject
    • Seabird Ecology, Climate Change
    Related URLs
    • https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v737/p25-29/
  • Updated Creator Stephen A. Oswald
  • Updated Creator Jennifer M. Arnold
  • Added Oswald&Arnold2023 MEPS AAM .pdf
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Published
  • Updated