Contrasting effects of climate change on seasonal survival of a hibernating mammal

Citation

Cordes, L. S., Blumstein, D. T., Armitage, K. B., CaraDonna, P. J., Childs, D. Z., Gerber, B. D., … & Ozgul, A. (2020). Contrasting effects of climate change on seasonal survival of a hibernating mammal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(30), 18119-18126.

Abstract

Climate change is altering the seasonal environmental conditions to which animals have adapted, but the outcome may differ between seasons for a particular species. Demographic responses therefore need disentangling on a seasonal basis to make accurate forecasts. Our study shows that climate change is causing seasonally divergent demographic responses in a hibernating mammal. Continued climate change will likely have a positive effect on summer survival but a negative effect on winter survival. This potentially has wide-ranging consequences across other species occupying temperate to more extreme arctic and alpine habitats, which are also where the most rapid changes in climate are observed.