The effects of different cold-temperature regimes on development, growth, and susceptibility to an abiotic and biotic stressor

Abstract

Global climate change is expected to both increase average temperatures as well as temperature variability. Increased average temperatures have led to earlier breeding in many spring-breeding organisms. However, individuals breeding earlier will also face increased temperature fluctuations, including exposure to potentially harmful cold-temperature regimes during early developmental stages. Using a model spring-breeding amphibian, we investigated how embryonic exposure to different cold-temperature regimes (control, cold-pulse, and cold-press) affected (a) compensatory larval development and growth, (b) larval susceptibility to a common contaminant, and (c) larval susceptibility to parasites. We found: (a) no evidence of compensatory development or growth, (b) larvae exposed to the cold-press treatment were more susceptible to NaCl at 4-days post-hatching but recovered by 17-days post-hatching, and (c) larvae exposed to both cold treatments were less susceptible to parasites. These results demonstrate that variation in cold-temperature regimes can lead to unique direct and indirect effects on larval growth, development, and response to stressors. This underscores the importance of considering cold-temperature variability and not just increased average temperatures when examining the impacts of climate disruption.