Science Source

Woodroffe, Rosie, Groom, Rosemary, McNutt, J. Weldon

Journal of Animal Ecology

Published date July 19, 2017

Hot dogs: High ambient temperatures impact reproductive success in a tropical carnivore

States that while ecologists have mostly explored indirect effects of rising ambient temperatures on temperate and polar species, physiologists have predicted direct impacts on tropical species
Predicts that African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations might be sensitive to weather conditions, because the species shows strongly seasonal reproduction across most of its geographical range
Explores associations between weather conditions, reproductive costs, and reproductive success, drawing on long-term wild dog monitoring data from sites in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe
Finds that high ambient temperatures were associated with reduced foraging time, especially during the energetically costly pup-rearing period
Finds that across all three sites, packs which reared pups at high ambient temperatures produced fewer recruits than did those rearing pups in cooler weather
Results show that over time, rising ambient temperatures at the (longest-monitored) Botswana site coincided with falling wild dog recruitment
Findings indicate this species may be highly vulnerable to climate change