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Abstract: Climate is a primary, but non-stationary, driver of tree growth. Climate change is altering the sensitivity of forest growth to water availability and temperature over time. It is considered that pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) will cope with the changing climatic conditions in Europe in the near future. However, while species distribution models project expansion zones, they also identify reductions in occurrence at the dry and warm distribution margins. Whereas species distribution models primarily rely on occurrence data, tree rings—given their long-term perspective and their use in empirical models—can provide a mechanistic view of forest growth dynamics, including temporally changing climate responses. Increased climate sensitivity and growth synchrony are key dendroecological indicators of tree stress. Here, we used an unprecedented network of 150 Q. robur sites (over 3300 trees), covering the full projected range of contracting to persistent areas across Europe, to assess the dendroecological indicators over recent decades in relation to species distribution model predictions. We reveal that oaks in areas projected to experience range contraction exhibited greater sensitivity to current growing season climatic conditions, whereas those in persistence areas responded more strongly to previous season conditions. Growth synchrony among trees was higher in the contraction areas, but showed no significant increasing trend over the last 70 years, as expected from ecotone theory. Temporal shifts in climate sensitivity were stronger for temperature and vapor pressure deficit in the persistence areas, whereas the climatic water balance gained importance in the contraction zones. These findings suggest that Q. robur growth is not yet being severely affected by climate change, and that the species is currently coping well with the climate changes, even in regions with projected range contractions, thereby challenging statistically derived scenarios of range shift based on species distribution models.
Keywords: climate change scenarios, climate–growth relationships, climatic water balance, growth synchrony, range contraction, vapor pressure deficit
Published in DiRROS: 04.11.2025; Views: 206; Downloads: 85
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Abstract: Potential Metabolic Activity (ETS26_P, ETS31_P, ETS36_P), Catalase Activity (CAT_P), Performance traits (BITE, SPRINT,CLIMB, MANO) and Morphological variables (snout-vent length (SVL), trunk length (TRL), pileus length (PL), head length (HL), head width (HW), head height (HH), fore limb length (FLL) and hind limb length (HLL) of 94 individuals belonging to Podarcis muralis species. The data was used in the analysis of the paper entitled: Is It Function or Fashion? An Integrative Analysis of Morphology, Performance, and Metabolism in a Colour Polymorphic Lizard, by authors Verónica Gomes, Anamarija Žagar, Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza, Tatjana Simčič and Miguel A. Carretero, published in the journal Diversity 2022, 14, 116. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14020116
Keywords: lizards, morphology, viviparity, sexual dimorphism, climate change, data
Published in DiRROS: 27.10.2025; Views: 186; Downloads: 120
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Abstract: Squamate reptiles are central for studying phenotypic correlates of evolutionary transitions from oviparity to viviparity because these transitions are numerous, with many of them being recent. Several models of life-history theory predict that viviparity is associated with increased female size, and thus more female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD). Yet the corresponding empirical evidence is overall weak and inconsistent. The lizard Zootoca vivipara, which occupies a major part of Northern Eurasia and includes four viviparous and two non-sister oviparous lineages, represents an excellent model for testing these predictions. We analysed how sex-specific body size and SSD is associated with parity mode, using body length data for nearly 14,000 adult individuals from 97 geographically distinct populations, which cover almost the entire species’ range and represent all six lineages. Our analyses controlled for lineage identity, climatic seasonality (the strongest predictor of geographic body size variation in previous studies of this species), and several aspects of data heterogeneity. Parity mode, lineage, and seasonality are significantly associated with female size and SSD; the first two predictors accounted for 14–26% of the total variation each, while seasonality explained 5–7%. Viviparous populations exhibited a larger female size than oviparous populations, with no concomitant differences in male size. Variation of male size was overall low and poorly explained by our predictors. Albeit fully expected from theory, the strong female bias of the body size differences between oviparous and viviparous populations found in Z. vivipara is not evident from available data on three other lizard systems of closely related lineages differing in parity mode. We confront this pattern with the data on female reproductive traits in the considered systems and the frequencies of evolutionary changes of parity mode in the corresponding lizard families and speculate why the life-history correlates of live-bearing in Z. vivipara are distinct. Comparing conspecific populations, our study provides the most direct evidence for the predicted effect of parity mode on adult body size but also demonstrates that the revealed pattern may not be general. This might explain why across squamates, viviparity is only weakly associated with larger size.
Keywords: lizards, morphology, viviparity, sexual dimorphism, climate change, data
Published in DiRROS: 27.10.2025; Views: 186; Downloads: 103
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Abstract: The metabolic performance of ectotherms is expected to be driven by the environment in which they live. Ecologically similar species with contrasting elevation distributions occurring in sympatry at mid-elevations, provide good models for studying how physiological responses to temperature vary as a function of adaptation to different elevations.. Under sympatry, at middle elevations, where divergent species ranges overlap, sympatric populations are expected to have similar thermal responses, suggesting similar local acclimation or adaptation, while observed differences would suggest adaptation to each species’ core range. We analysed the metabolic traits of sympatric species pairs from three ectotherm groups: reptiles (Reptilia: Lacertidae), amphibians (Amphibia: Salamandridae) and beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), living at different elevations, in order to test how adaptation to different elevations affects metabolic responses to temperature. We experimentally tested the thermal response of respiration rate (RR) and estimated potential metabolic activity (PMA) at three temperature regimes surrounding the groups’ optimal activity body temperatures. RR was relatively similar among groups and showed a positive response to increasing temperature, which was more pronounced in the high-elevation species of reptiles and beetles. Relative to RR, PMA displayed a stronger and more consistent positive response to increased temperature in all three groups. For all three groups, the average biochemical capacity for metabolism (PMA) was higher in the range-restricted, high-elevation species, and this difference increased at higher temperatures in a consistent manner. These results, indicating consistent pattern in three independently evolved animal groups, suggest a ubiquitous adaptive syndrome and represent a novel understanding of the mechanisms shaping spatial biodiversity patterns. Our results also highlight the importance of geographic patterns for the mechanistic understanding of adaptations in physiological traits, including species’ potential to respond/adapt to global climate changes.
Keywords: lizards, morphology, physiology, metabolism, climate change, data
Published in DiRROS: 27.10.2025; Views: 190; Downloads: 102
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Abstract: Seagrass meadows are important habitat builders, providing food, shelter, and nursery grounds for many species, alongside essential goods and ecosystem services for humanity. However, in the last decades, seagrass meadows have been subjected to numerous pressures, leading to their widespread decline. The northern Adriatic Sea is no exception, with seagrass regression observed notably between 2014 and 2018. This study aims to identify the drivers of the recent seagrass decline in the Gulf of Trieste through a spatial and temporal assessment of seagrass distribution. To assess the relationship between seagrass dynamics and environmental changes, spatiotemporal patterns of environmental variables were analyzed, and generalized additive models were applied for two different time periods: 2009-2013 and 2014-2018. Historical data on seagrass distribution was also collected and compared with the current distribution. Our findings indicate that Cymodocea nodosa remains the dominant species on the northern coast of the Gulf, with a decrease of 30% in Slovenian waters and up to 89% near Trieste (Italy) during 2014-2018. Analysis of physicochemical variables revealed an increase in seawater temperature across the Gulf and a change in nutrient load, particularly in Slovenia, where it decreased significantly. Models achieved high-performance scores, identifying photosynthetically active radiation, nutrients, temperature, and sediment type as key determinants of seagrass occurrence. Nonetheless, additional local-scale factors likely contributed to lower seagrass’ resilience to disturbances. These findings stress the need to develop integrated spatial planning strategies and provide a crucial baseline for future seagrass monitoring and restoration activities.
Keywords: species distribution, climate change, anthropogenic disturbance, urbanization, Northern Adriatic
Published in DiRROS: 08.10.2025; Views: 262; Downloads: 112
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