Subterranean environments are buffered from external climatic fluctuations due to the absence of light and a delayed thermal response to surface conditions(Mammola 2019).Terrestrial salamanders are often found in subt...Subterranean environments are buffered from external climatic fluctuations due to the absence of light and a delayed thermal response to surface conditions(Mammola 2019).Terrestrial salamanders are often found in subterranean habitats,but few studies have assessed the influence of climatic effects on their long-term spatial distribution and niche breadth.In this study,we investigated the variability over 29 consecutive years of the spatial niche in a terrestrial salamander population inhabiting an artificial subterranean habitat.We hypothesized that juvenile salamanders,which are typically active near cave entrances and more exposed to climatic variability and dehydration(Peterman et al.2013),would exhibit an earlier and more variable behavioral adaptation to increasing external temperatures compared to adults.展开更多
文摘Subterranean environments are buffered from external climatic fluctuations due to the absence of light and a delayed thermal response to surface conditions(Mammola 2019).Terrestrial salamanders are often found in subterranean habitats,but few studies have assessed the influence of climatic effects on their long-term spatial distribution and niche breadth.In this study,we investigated the variability over 29 consecutive years of the spatial niche in a terrestrial salamander population inhabiting an artificial subterranean habitat.We hypothesized that juvenile salamanders,which are typically active near cave entrances and more exposed to climatic variability and dehydration(Peterman et al.2013),would exhibit an earlier and more variable behavioral adaptation to increasing external temperatures compared to adults.
