Supplementary Material for Gilbert & Miles 2017 from Natural selection on thermal preference, critical thermal maxima and locomotor performance

Climate change is resulting in a radical transformation of the thermal quality of habitats across the globe. Whereas species have altered their distributions to cope with changing environments, the evidence for adaptation in response to rising temperatures is limited. However, to determine the potential of adaptation in response to thermal variation, we need estimates of the magnitude and direction of natural selection on traits that are assumed to increase persistence in warmer environments. Most inferences regarding physiological adaptation are based on interspecific analyses, and those of selection on thermal traits are scarce. Here, we estimate natural selection on major thermal traits used to assess the vulnerability of ectothermic organisms to altered thermal niches. We detected significant directional selection favouring lizards with higher thermal preferences and faster sprint performance at their optimal temperature. Our analyses also revealed correlational selection between thermal preference and critical thermal maxima, where individuals that preferred warmer body temperatures with cooler critical thermal maxima were favoured by selection. Recent published estimates of heritability for thermal traits suggest that, in concert with the strong selective pressures we demonstrate here, evolutionary adaptation may promote long-term persistence of ectotherms in altered thermal environments

Charcaterization of habitat space in the unaltered, burned and harvested habitat.

<p>Results of a nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis of similarity in the vegetational composition and structure in random habitat plots, nest habitat plots and male territory habitat plots from the unaltered (circles), selective harvest (squares) and the burn habitat (triangles). Convex hulls are plotted for each stand and 95% confidence ellipses based on the standard deviation of the weighted distance from the group centroid are indicated (C = unaltered habitat, B = burned habitat, T = selective harvest habitat).</p

EXCEL spreadsheet containing data for the tree lizard spatial network paper

This EXCEL file includes six tabs which contain all of the raw data used for our spatial network paper. Please consult the Readme file for content details and the paper itself for programs/R packages/functions used to analyze each set of data

Demographic Costs Associated with Differences in Habitat Space Occupancy

<div><p>Delimiting the habitat characteristics describing the environmental conditions required by a species has become a critical tool for predicting organismal responses to environmental change. Grinnell emphasized the effects of environmental factors on the ability of a population to maintain a positive growth rate, yet few studies have included demographic or reproductive data in analyses of the Grinnellian niche. Identifying differences in habitat exploitation patterns in response to structural variation in the environment presents an incomplete description of the ability of species to adapt to changing habitats if demographic traits are not included. We estimated the vegetation characteristics used by individuals within a population of hooded warblers (<i>Setophaga citrina</i>) across a spatial transect that includes three structurally different forest habitats. We predicted individuals should select similar structural characteristics within each habitat and have similar reproductive success across sample sites. In the two years post burn, adults were present but no young fledged indicating the habitat requirements necessary for reproduction were absent in this habitat. We found significant differences in habitat space occupied by individuals in unaltered and harvested habitats. Nesting habitats used by female warblers differed from available habitat. Fledging success was lower in the harvested habitat 10 to 12 years post-harvest. In the harvested habitat, fledging success was greater on mesic slopes but decreased along a habitat gradient to xeric ridgetops, suggesting compensation in habitat use does not ameliorate fitness costs. In contrast, there was no difference in the number of fledged young along this gradient in the unaltered habitat. Based solely on occupancy data, traditional ecological niche models would incorrectly conclude the environmental characteristics found across the three forested habitats are included in the Grinnellian niche of the hooded warbler. However, examination of demographic and environmental data simultaneously allows differentiation between occupied habitat space and niche space.</p></div

Map illustrating the location of the habitat plots used to estimate vegetation composition and structure.

<p>We show the positions for the different plot types (male territory centered, nest centered, and random) each year in (A) burn habitat, (B) harvested habitat and (C) unaltered habitat.</p

Demographic Costs Associated with Differences in Habitat Space Occupancy - Fig 3

<p><b>Comparison of habitat space between (A) male territories and random space, (B) female nest sites and random space, and (C) male territories and female nest sites.</b> The position of the habitat plots in a space defined by the first two axes from the NMDS ordination in the unaltered (circles), and selective harvest (squares). Solid symbols represent territory plots (A) or nest plots (B) while open symbols represent random plots. Convex hulls define habitat space in each habitat (solid line = Territory; dashed lines = Random, blue = unaltered habitat and black = harvested habitat) and 95% confidence ellipses based on the standard deviation of the weighted distance from the group centroid (territories or nests in unaltered habitat = blue oval, territories or nests in harvested habitat = gray oval, random plots = red ovals). (C) Solid shapes represent nests sites and open shapes represent male territories. Convex hulls are drawn for female and male habitat space in each habitat (solid line = female nest; dashed lines = male territory) and 95% confidence ellipses based on the standard deviation of the weighted distance from the group centroid are indicated (female nest sites = red ovals; male territory = gray ovals).</p

The relationship between number of fledged young and the interaction of forest habitat type and NMDS axis 1.

<p>Unaltered habitat = solid line; selective harvest habitat = dashed line with 95% confidence intervals.</p

Appendix B. A table showing mean performance ability ± standard error for 19 species representing 23 populations.

A table showing mean performance ability ± standard error for 19 species representing 23 populations

Appendix A. A table showing (a) mean morphological traits and (b) mean limb morphology traits ± standard error (mm) for 19 species representing 23 populations.

A table showing (a) mean morphological traits and (b) mean limb morphology traits ± standard error (mm) for 19 species representing 23 populations

Preference of female <i>Urosaurus ornatus</i> when presented with orange and yellow males (visual experiment).

<p>Preference by yellow (light grey) and orange (dark grey) morph females refers to a greater number of visits towards one male over another and bars are mean+1.0 standard error (SE). Both yellow and orange females preferred yellow over orange morph males (see Results).</p