Forests buffer the climate-induced decline of body mass in a mountain herbivore.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is known to affect key life-history traits, such as body mass, reproduction, and survival in many species. Animal populations inhabiting mountain habitats are adapted to extreme seasonal environmental conditions but are also expected to be especially vulnerable to climate change. Studies on mountain ungulates typically focus on populations or sections of populations living above the tree line, whereas populations inhabiting forested habitats are largely understudied. Here, we investigate whether forested areas can mitigate the impact of climatic change on life-history traits by evaluating the interactive effects of temperature and habitat characteristics on body mass variation in the Alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra. We examined data of 20,573 yearling chamois co

SUBMITTER: Reiner R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8361913 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature