Extended phenotypes: buffers or amplifiers of climate change?

Historic approaches to understanding biological responses to climate change have viewed climate as something external that happens to organisms. Organisms, however, at least partially influence their own climate experience by moving within local mosaics of microclimates. Such behaviors are increasin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) 2021-10, Vol.36 (10), p.889-898
Main Authors: Woods, H. Arthur, Pincebourde, Sylvain, Dillon, Michael E., Terblanche, John S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adaptation
Biodiversity and Ecology
climate change
ecosystem engineer
Environmental Sciences
environmental stress
Global Changes
microclimate
niche construction
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Summary:Historic approaches to understanding biological responses to climate change have viewed climate as something external that happens to organisms. Organisms, however, at least partially influence their own climate experience by moving within local mosaics of microclimates. Such behaviors are increasingly being incorporated into models of species distributions and climate sensitivity. Less attention has focused on how organisms alter microclimates via extended phenotypes: phenotypes that extend beyond the organismal surface, including structures that are induced or built. We argue that predicting the consequences of climate change for organismal performance and fitness will depend on understanding the expression and consequences of extended phenotypes, the microclimatic niches they generate, and the power of plasticity and evolution to shape those niches. All organisms modify their local conditions by exchanging materials and energy with their environments. Many organisms also induce or build external structures around themselves, which are considered extended phenotypes.External structures play central roles in determining the microclimates that organisms experience. Depending on their materials, architecture, and location, they may buffer or amplify local climate variability and macroclimatic change. To date, however, no general frameworks are available for predicting the microclimatic effects of these structures.The importance of extended phenotypes during climate change will depend on whether they exhibit adaptive plasticity and how rapidly they evolve in response to climate variability.
ISSN:0169-5347
1872-8383
DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.010