ArticlePhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2012
Predicting organismal vulnerability to climate warming: roles of behaviour, physiology and adaptation.
Article in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 350 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
350 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Global meta-analysis reveals urban-associated behavioural differences among wild populations.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Pooled it
- Excess mortality of infected ectotherms induced by warming depends on pathogen kingdom and evolutionary history.PLoS biology · 2024Pooled it
- Developmental environments do not affect thermal physiological traits in reptiles: an experimental test and meta-analysis.Biology letters · 2023Pooled it
- Experimental temperatures shape host microbiome diversity and composition.Global change biology · 2023Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of elevational changes in the intensity of trophic interactions: Similarities and dissimilarities with latitudinal patterns.Ecology letters · 2022Pooled it
- Limited plasticity in thermally tolerant ectotherm populations: evidence for a trade-off.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2021Pooled it
- Water limitation modifies vocal performance in California mice: implications for acoustic communication under environmental stress.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Article
- A mosaic of microclimates: biodiversity outcomes and wildlife habitat potential in large-scale solar facilities.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Temperature mediates variation in avian sensitivity to forest cover.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Does energy minimisation constrain behavioural plasticity? Long-term activity budgets of a model folivore-frugivore.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Article
- Marine heatwaves shape size-dependent thermal exposure, habitat use and marine residency in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus).Journal of fish biology · 2026Article
- Continental-Scale Biodiversity Predictions Are Influenced by Climatic Variability and Extreme Weather.Global change biology · 2026Article
- Large fish eggs may lose their edge as temperature rises.Oecologia · 2026Article
- Global Diversity Patterns in Anurans Are Determined by Terrestrial and Arboreal Species.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Physiology is a hidden dimension of diversity in the radiation of woodland salamanders.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Post-ejaculatory thermal sensitivity of sperm performance in the high-altitude lizard Phymaturus extrilidus.Biology open · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Heat Exposure-Induced Molecular Changes in Two Turtle Species with Contrasting Thermal Adaptations.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Meteorology and geography, more than biological traits, drive variation in frog phenology across decades.Ecology · 2026Article
- Predictors of Body Temperature in Nose-Horned Viper (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Energetic Costs of Extreme Heat: High Temperatures Elevate Daytime Activity and Suppress Nighttime Foraging in Flying-Foxes.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
290 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A recently developed integrative framework proposes that the vulnerability of a species to environmental change depends on the species' exposure and sensitivity to environmental change, its resilience to perturbations and its potential to adapt to change. These vulnerability criteria require behavioural, physiological and genetic data. With this information in hand, biologists can predict organisms most at risk from environmental change. Biologists and managers can then target organisms and habitats most at risk. Unfortunately, the required data (e.g. optimal physiological temperatures) are rarely available. Here, we evaluate the reliability of potential proxies (e.g. critical temperatures) that are often available for some groups. Several proxies for ectotherms are promising, but analogous ones for endotherms are lacking. We also develop a simple graphical model of how behavioural thermoregulation, acclimation and adaptation may interact to influence vulnerability over time. After considering this model together with the proxies available for physiological sensitivity to climate change, we conclude that ectotherms sharing vulnerability traits seem concentrated in lowland tropical forests. Their vulnerability may be exacerbated by negative biotic interactions. Whether tropical forest (or other) species can adapt to warming environments is unclear, as genetic and selective data are scant. Nevertheless, the prospects for tropical forest ectotherms appear grim.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.