biostudies-literatureUnknown20(4)Ong KFor the small number of temperate and boreal species that cache perishable food, previous research suggests that increasing freeze-thaw events can have a negative impact on fitness by degrading the quality of cached food. However, there is no experimental evidence that directly links freeze-thaw events to cache quality. To examine how the timing, frequency, duration, and intensity of freeze-thaw events influenced cached food mass loss, a proxy for caloric content, we conducted a series of month-long laboratory experiments by placing simulated caches (raw chicken placed between two pieces of black spruce Picea mariana bark) in programmable freezers. Freeze-thaw treatments were modelled after weather data from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, where a population of Canada jays (Perisoreus PloS onee0319043https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11970643biostudies-literatureExperimental evidence demonstrating how freeze-thaw patterns affect spoilage of perishable cached food.PMC11970643Norris DROng KfalseExperimental evidence demonstrating how freeze-thaw patterns affect spoilage of perishable cached food.For the small number of temperate and boreal species that cache perishable food, previous research suggests that increasing freeze-thaw events can have a negative impact on fitness by degrading the quality of cached food. However, there is no experimental evidence that directly links freeze-thaw events to cache quality. To examine how the timing, frequency, duration, and intensity of freeze-thaw events influenced cached food mass loss, a proxy for caloric content, we conducted a series of month-long laboratory experiments by placing simulated caches (raw chicken placed between two pieces of black spruce Picea mariana bark) in programmable freezers. Freeze-thaw treatments were modelled after weather data from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, where a population of Canada jays (Perisoreus 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252025-07-08T03:13:52.688Z2025-07-08T03:13:52.688ZS-EPMC119706434018438110.1371/journal.pone.0319043