Biology subjects

Salgado, A. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Salgado, A. L..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A mosaic of climate vulnerability: local warming rates meet intraspecific divergence in heat tolerance

Climate warming is increasing mismatches between thermal phenotypes and habitat temperatures, driving range shifts and population extirpations. While within-species variation in heat tolerance and local warming rates can predict responses to climate warming, how these factors shape differences in vulnerability among taxa and ecosystems is uncertain. Here we combine climate and thermal trait data from 69 species across four ecosystem types to examine the effects of incorporating intraspecific variation in heat tolerance and local warming rates on projected vulnerability to climate warming. Because vulnerability to warming depends on existing phenotypic variation in thermal performance and relative rates of habitat warming, we develop a new metric that integrates localized rates of warming with spatial variation in thermal tolerances, termed the minimum trait velocity. Incorporating intraspecific variation in heat tolerance lowered estimates of warming tolerance (a measure of vulnerability) across most ecosystem types, with the strongest negative impact on marine taxa. Although intraspecific variation in heat tolerance could facilitate adaptation to climate change, our results suggest such variation is generally less than the projected near future warming. This suggests that opportunities for evolutionary rescue via gene flow between locally adapted populations are limited, adding to mounting concern as the climate warms.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Context matters: A meta-analysis of the variable impact of transgenerational and developmental plasticity on responses to stress

O_LIUnderstanding organisms abilities to adapt and acclimate to stressors in their environments is essential for predicting the distributions and persistence of species and populations during environmental change. Beyond genetic adaptation, prior experiences with a given stressor across life stages can dictate how an individual will fare when exposed to that stressor again. There is now a robust literature on the impacts of parental experiences on offspring traits (transgenerational plasticity), plus an even broader literature on the carry-over effects of early-life experience on phenotypic outcomes (within-generational or developmental plasticity); however, less is understood about the relative strengths of these two forms of plasticity and how they interact to shape stress tolerance. C_LIO_LIWe explored these questions by conducting a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies that tested both within- and transgenerational effects of naturally occurring environmental stressors. In particular, we explored contextual moderators or predictor variables including the traits measured, the type of stressor, taxonomic group, and organismal life history traits to elucidate patterns and develop a predictive framework for when we should expect to see effects of transgenerational plasticity, within-generational plasticity, both, or neither. C_LIO_LIWe found that there was not a strong or consistent directional effect of either parental or early-life exposure on subsequent offspring traits. Instead, experimental context (what stressor was used and what traits were measured) as well as biological context (taxonomy, life history traits) were important predictors for understanding the strength and direction of plasticity. We found several contexts where there were meaningful effects of parental and early-life stress exposure and where there was evidence that these may interact to impact phenotypic and fitness outcomes. C_LIO_LIOur study highlights the need for careful consideration of context when exploring patterns of plasticity. We hope to underscore the need for additional, fully factorial studies that measure the interaction between these forms of plasticity across a variety of systems and stressors to better understand how stress may carry forward across life stages and generations. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Narrow oviposition preference of an insect herbivore risks survival under conditions of severe drought

O_LIUnderstanding species habitat preferences are crucial to predict organisms responses to the current climate crisis. In many insects, maternal habitat selection for oviposition essentially determines offspring performance. Whether changes in climatic conditions may pose future mismatches in oviposition preference and offspring performance when mothers continue to prefer microhabitats that now threaten offspring survival is an open question. C_LIO_LITo address this, we tested if oviposition preferences put offspring at risk in the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) under drought stress. Mainly, we focus on identifying the microhabitat determinants for oviposition and the variation of conditions experienced by the sessile offspring, using field observations from 12 populations collected over 2015-2018. These data are combined with ten years of larval nest and precipitation data to understand within-population patterns of habitat selection. We tested whether the preferred microhabitats maximized the extended larval performance (i.e. overwinter survival). C_LIO_LIWe found that females preferentially oviposited in microhabitats with higher host plant abundance and higher proportion of host plants with signs of drought stress. In most years, larval nests had higher survival in these drought-stressed microhabitats. However, in an extremely dry year, only two nests survived over the summer. C_LIO_LIOur results highlight that a failure to shift habitat preference under extreme climate conditions may have drastic consequences for the survival of natural populations under changing climatic conditions. C_LI

ecology↗