Limited Physiological Compensation in Response to an Acute Microclimate Change in a Malagasy Bat

Rapid environmental changes are challenging for endothermic species because they have direct and immediate impacts on their physiology by affecting microclimate fundamental resource availability. Physiological flexibility can compensate certain ecological perturbations, but our basic understanding of how function in a given habitat the extent adaptive scope is limited. Here we studied effect acute, experimental change thermal two populations widespread Malagasy bat, Macronycteris commersoni . Populations this found roosting under contrasting conditions, i.e., constant hot humid cave or below foliage unprotected from fluctuations ambient conditions. We exposed free-ranging individuals each population to respective opposite condition thus novel within an ecologically realistic while measuring metabolic rate skin temperature. Cave bats forest setting had limited capacity maintain euthermia point that became hypothermic when temperature dropped commonly experienced Forest other hand, difficulties dissipate heat set-up. The response heat, however, was surprisingly uniform all entered torpor combined with hyperthermia at temperatures exceeding thermoneutral zone. Thus, observed potential flexible compensation through “hot” torpor, both showed patterns suggestive cope acute deviating typically occupied roosts. Our study emphasizes intraspecific variation among could be misleading assessing species’ scopes, as may arise genetic adaptation, developmental plasticity phenotypic flexibility, which allow compensatory responses differing time scales. Disentangling these mechanisms identifying basis vital make accurate predictions chances persisting ever rapidly changing habitats climates.