Adaptive variation in the upper limits of avian body temperature

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 119; no. 26; p. e2116645119
• Main Authors: Freeman, Marc T, Czenze, Zenon J, Schoeman, Keegan, McKechnie, Andrew E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 28.06.2022
• Subjects: Air temperature; Animals; Aridity; Basal Metabolism - physiology; Biological Sciences; Birds; Birds - physiology; Body temperature; Body Temperature Regulation - physiology; Climate; Cooling; Deserts; Evaporative cooling; Fever; Hot Temperature; Humidity; Hyperthermia; Phylogeny; South Africa; Species; Water conservation; Water Loss, Insensible - physiology; South Africa; heat tolerance limit; climatic variation; maximum body temperature; endotherm; adaptive thermoregulation
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116645119

Physiological performance declines precipitously at high body temperature ( ), but little attention has been paid to adaptive variation in upper limits among endotherms. We hypothesized that avian maximum tolerable ( ) has evolved in response to climate, with higher in species exposed to high environmental heat loads or humidity-related constraints on evaporative heat dissipation. To test this hypothesis, we compared and related variables among 53 bird species at multiple sites in South Africa with differing maximum air temperature ( ) and humidity using a phylogenetically informed comparative framework. Birds in humid, lowland habitats had comparatively high (mean ± SD = 45.60 ± 0.58 °C) and low normothermic ( ), with a significantly greater capacity for hyperthermia ( - gradient = 5.84 ± 0.77 °C) compared with birds occupying cool montane (4.97 ± 0.99 °C) or hot arid (4.11 ± 0.84 °C) climates. Unexpectedly, was significantly lower among desert birds (44.65 ± 0.60 °C), a surprising result in light of the functional importance of hyperthermia for water conservation. Our data reveal a macrophysiological pattern and support recent arguments that endotherms have evolved thermal generalization versus specialization analogous to the continuum among ectothermic animals. Specifically, a combination of modest hyperthermia tolerance and efficient evaporative cooling in desert birds is indicative of thermal specialization, whereas greater hyperthermia tolerance and less efficient evaporative cooling among species in humid lowland habitats suggest thermal generalization.