Date of Award
8-1-2023
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Zoology
First Advisor
Warne, Robin
Abstract
Temperature represents a major driving force in biology as it influences essential functions across multiple levels of biological organization. The role of temperature is especially important for ectothermic animals, whose biotic processes are dependent on both body and environmental temperature. Assessing the relationship between temperature and organismal performance represents an important research direction as temperatures continue to warm under anthropogenic climate change. Chapters two and three are focused on a recently colonized population of the invasive Mediterranean House Geckos at the northern edge of their invasion front. These chapters examine the ecological and physiological factors that enable these lizards to persist in a cooler and more temperate environment than their native range. The thermal breadth of a reptile greatly influences its ability to tolerate a thermally variable environment, particularly when environmental options are limited for behavioral thermoregulation. These chapters explore the thermal performance of this species, and the results show that the eurythermality of these geckos promotes their rapid colonization of novel environments despite experiencing prolonged periods of cool temperatures. Chapters four, five, and six, by contrast, shift focus to larval amphibians to explore the constraints and factors underlying plasticity in acclimation to temperature extremes. As habitats continue to warm with climate change, ectotherms with limited capacity to thermoregulate, such as larval amphibians in shallow ponds, will be under a heightened threat of heat stress and mortality. Resultantly, identifying different factors that can increase organismal heat tolerance would reduce the risk of overheating and promote survival. Chapters four, five, and six explore this topic by measuring the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of larval wood frogs. Chapter four focuses on the tradeoff between basal CTmax and plasticity of CTmax and its consequences for how a larval anuran responds to an acute heat shock. Chapter five examines the role a viral pathogen, ranavirus, has on larval CTmax. Surprisingly, a lethal dose of ranavirus did not reduce CTmax which goes against the common pattern of pathogenic infections lowering host heat tolerance. Lastly, chapter six explores the relationship between the gut microbiota and host CTmax with a particular focus on cross-species microbiota transplants. In line with our prediction, transplanting the gut microbiota of a heat-tolerant donor species promoted greater CTmax in the heat-sensitive recipient species.
Access
This dissertation is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.