Is thermal plasticity itself shaped by natural selection? An assessment with desert frogs

The Mind is Not (Just) a System of Modules Shaped (Just) by Natural Selection

Is Natural Selection an Outworn Term?

Natural selection on thermal performance in a novel thermal environment.

Tropical ectotherms are thought to be especially vulnerable to climate change because they are adapted to relatively stable temperature regimes, such that even small increases in environmental temperature may lead to large decreases in physiological performance. One way in which tropical organisms may mitigate the detrimental effects of warming is through evolutionary change in thermal physiolo...

Foraging Activity Pattern Is Shaped by Water Loss Rates in a Diurnal Desert Rodent.

Although animals fine-tune their activity to avoid excess heat, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of such behaviors. As the global climate changes, such understanding is particularly important for projecting shifts in the activity patterns of populations and communities. We studied how foraging decisions vary with biotic and abiotic pressures. By tracking the foraging behavior of diurna...

Habitat Selection by Juvenile Mojave Desert Tortoises

Growing pressure to develop public lands for renewable energy production places several protected species at increased risk of habitat loss. One example is the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a species often at the center of conflicts over public land development. For this species and others on public lands, a better understanding of their habitat needs can help minimize negative i...