Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Physiological Responses To Elevated Temperature Across The Geographic Range Of A Terrestrial Salamander, Alexander J. Novarro, Caitlin R. Gabor, Cory B. Goff, Tori D. Mezebish, Lily M. Thompson, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

Widespread species often possess physiological mechanisms for coping with thermal heterogeneity, and uncovering these mechanisms provides insight into species responses to climate change. The emergence of non-invasive corticosterone (CORT) assays allows us to rapidly assess physiological responses to environmental change on a large scale. We lack, however, a basic understanding of how temperature affects CORT, and whether temperature and CORT interactively affect performance. Here, we examine the effects of elevated temperature on CORT and whole-organism performance in a terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus, across a latitudinal gradient. Using water-borne hormone assays, we found that raising ambient temperature from 15 to 25°C …