Temperature Predicts Relative Mass but Not Size in Passerines

IF 6.5 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Global Ecology and Biogeography Pub Date : 2026-06-23 DOI:10.1111/geb.70272

Charlotte M. Probst, Jacob S. Berv, Zhizhuo Zhou, Mingyu Zhang, Tiffany Dias, Karen Alofs, David F. Fouhey, Brian C. Weeks

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

Predictable relationships between temperature and animal size and shape are the basis for classic rules in macroecology. Body size is thought to covary negatively with temperature (Bergmann's Rule), broadly attributed to thermoregulatory demand for larger size in colder climates. However, ecophysiological principles suggest that changes in insulative materials may be a more effective thermoregulatory adaptation than changes in overall skeletal size. We test for global gradients in mass relative to skeletal size (a proxy for insulation) and body size.

Location

Global.

Time Period

Current.

Major Taxa Studied

Aves: Passeriformes.

Methods

Combining a dataset of mass and skeletal traits for 1958 passerine species, we use Bayesian phylogenetic comparative analyses to test the extent to which temperature predicts skeletal size and relative mass.

Results

Across species, we find no evidence that temperature predicts skeletal size; rather, the effects associated with phylogeny account for nearly all of the variation in size. In contrast, we find a global gradient in mass relative to skeletal size, with species in colder climates having more mass than expected given their skeletal size. For 24 species, we assess these relationships within species and find that relative mass has declined through time but is not predicted by temperature.

Main Conclusions

Mass relative to skeletal size is expected to exert a significant effect on insulation and energy stores, and we find it is more labile than skeletal size across species. Our results suggest: (1) species in colder climates tend to have greater insulation (as indicated by their higher relative mass); (2) skeletal size in passerines does not strongly adhere to Bergmann's Rule, suggesting spatial temperature-size relationships may be unlikely to predict temporal responses of size to climate change in this group; and (3) declines in relative mass may be a widespread cryptic response to global change.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

温度可以预测雀形目动物的相对质量，但不能预测其大小

目的温度与动物体型和体型之间的可预测关系是宏观生态学经典规律的基础。体型被认为与温度呈负相关（伯格曼规则），这被广泛地归因于在寒冷气候下对更大体型的体温调节需求。然而，生态生理学原理表明，保温材料的变化可能比整体骨骼尺寸的变化更有效地适应热调节。我们测试了相对于骨骼尺寸（绝缘的代理）和身体尺寸的全球质量梯度。全球位置。时间周期当前。研究的主要分类群：过路虫。方法结合1958种雀形目动物的质量和骨骼特征数据集，采用贝叶斯系统发育比较分析方法来测试温度对骨骼大小和相对质量的预测程度。结果在物种中，我们没有发现温度可以预测骨骼大小的证据；相反，与系统发育有关的影响几乎解释了所有体型的变化。相比之下，我们发现了相对于骨骼大小的全球质量梯度，在较冷的气候中，物种的骨骼尺寸比预期的要大。对于24个物种，我们评估了物种内部的这些关系，发现相对质量随着时间的推移而下降，但不是由温度预测的。主要结论相对于骨骼尺寸的质量对隔热和能量储存有显著影响，并且我们发现相对于骨骼尺寸在物种间更不稳定。我们的研究结果表明：(1)气候较冷的物种往往具有更大的绝缘性（这表明它们的相对质量更高）；(2)雀形科动物的骨骼尺寸不强烈遵循Bergmann规则，这表明空间温度-尺寸关系可能不太可能预测该类群中骨骼尺寸对气候变化的时间响应；(3)相对质量的下降可能是对全球变化的一种广泛的隐晦反应。

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来源期刊

Global Ecology and Biogeography 环境科学-生态学

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

3.10%

发文量

170

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Global Ecology and Biogeography (GEB) welcomes papers that investigate broad-scale (in space, time and/or taxonomy), general patterns in the organization of ecological systems and assemblages, and the processes that underlie them. In particular, GEB welcomes studies that use macroecological methods, comparative analyses, meta-analyses, reviews, spatial analyses and modelling to arrive at general, conceptual conclusions. Studies in GEB need not be global in spatial extent, but the conclusions and implications of the study must be relevant to ecologists and biogeographers globally, rather than being limited to local areas, or specific taxa. Similarly, GEB is not limited to spatial studies; we are equally interested in the general patterns of nature through time, among taxa (e.g., body sizes, dispersal abilities), through the course of evolution, etc. Further, GEB welcomes papers that investigate general impacts of human activities on ecological systems in accordance with the above criteria.