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A demographic approach to understanding the effects of climate on population growth

  • Population ecology – original research
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Abstract

Amphibian life history traits are affected by temperature and precipitation. Yet, connecting these relationships to population growth, especially for multiple populations within a species, is lacking and precludes our understanding of amphibian population dynamics and distributions. Therefore, we constructed integral projection models for five populations along an elevational gradient to determine how climate and season affect population growth of a terrestrial salamander Plethodon montanus and the importance of demographic vital rates to population growth under varying climate scenarios. We found that population growth was typically higher at the highest elevation compared to the lower elevations, whereas varying inactive season conditions, represented by the late fall, winter and early spring, produced a greater variation in population growth than varying active season conditions (late spring, summer, and early fall). Furthermore, survival and growth were consistently more important, as measured by elasticity, compared to fecundity, and large females had the greatest elasticity compared to all other body sizes. Our results suggest that changing inactive season conditions, especially those that would affect the survival of large individuals, may have the greatest impact on population growth. We recommend future experimental studies focus on the inactive season to better elucidate the mechanisms by which these conditions can affect survival.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers who improved this manuscript.

Funding

NMC received grants through the Graduate Research Fellowship at the University of Alabama, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Fellowship, the Smithsonian Institution Graduate Research Fellowship, and the Herpetologists’ League E.E. Williams Research Grant. Funding was provided by National Museum of Natural History.

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Author notes

  1. Nicholas M. Caruso

    Present address: Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

  2. Leslie J. Rissler

    Present address: Division of Environmental Biology, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, 22314, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Nicholas M. Caruso, Christina L. Staudhammer & Leslie J. Rissler

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  1. Nicholas M. Caruso
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NMC, CLS, and LJR conceived the idea, NMC developed the models and analyzed the data, and NMC, CLS, and LJR wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nicholas M. Caruso.

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Communicated by John Loehr.

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Caruso, N.M., Staudhammer, C.L. & Rissler, L.J. A demographic approach to understanding the effects of climate on population growth. Oecologia 193, 889–901 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04731-8

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