The timing of reproduction is responding plastically, not genetically, to climate change in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer).

ABSTRACT: With global climates changing rapidly, animals must adapt to new environmental conditions with altered weather and phenology. The key to adapting to these new conditions is adjusting the timing of reproduction to maximize fitness. Using a long-term dataset on a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), we investigated how the timing of reproduction changed with changing spring conditions over the past 50 years. Marmots are hibernators with a 4-month active season. It is thus crucial to reproduce early enough in the season to have time to prepare for hibernation, but not too early, as snow cover prevents access to food. Importantly, climate change in this area has, on average, increased spring temperatures by 5

SUBMITTER: St Lawrence S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10701086 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature