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Dalpasso A, Seglie D, Eusebio Bergò P, Ciracì A, Compostella M, Laddaga L, Manica M, Marino G, Pandolfo I, Soldato G, Falaschi M. Effects of temperature and precipitation changes on shifts in breeding phenology of an endangered toad. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14573. [PMID: 37666849 PMCID: PMC10477230 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40568-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last century, a plethora of species have shown rapid phenological changes in response to climate change. Among animals, amphibians exhibit some of the greatest responses since their activity strongly depends on temperature and rainfall regimes. These shifts in phenology can have negative consequences for amphibian fitness. Thus, understanding phenological changes in amphibians is pivotal to design conservation actions to mitigate climate change effects. We used data on Common Spadefoot Toad (Pelobates fuscus) reproductive migration to wetlands over a period of 8 years in Italy to (i) identify the factors related to breeding migrations, (ii) assess potential phenological shifts in the breeding period, and (iii) determine which climatic factors are related to the observed phenological shifts. Our results showed that toads migrate to spawning sites preferably in early spring, on rainy days with temperatures of 9-14 °C, and with high humidity. Furthermore, despite an increase in average temperature across the study period, we observed a delay in the start of breeding migrations of 12.4 days over 8 years. This counterintuitive pattern was the result of a succession of hot and dry years that occurred in the study area, highlighting that for ephemeral pond breeders, precipitation could have a larger impact than temperature on phenology. Our results belie the strong presumption that climate change will shift amphibian phenology toward an earlier breeding migration and underline the importance of closely investigating the environmental factors related to species phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dalpasso
- Department of Biology, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | | | | | - Andrea Ciracì
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Compostella
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Laddaga
- Società di Scienze Naturali del Verbano Cusio Ossola, Museo di Scienze Naturali, Collegio Mellerio Rosmini, 28845, Domodossola, Italy
| | - Milo Manica
- Parco Lombardo della valle del Ticino, Via Isonzo 1, 20013, Pontevecchio di Magenta, MI, Italy
| | - Gaia Marino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Pandolfo
- Department of Chemical Science, Life and Environmental Sustainability, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Mattia Falaschi
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
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