Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads
Hugo Cayuela, Jean‐François Lemaître, Erin Muths, Rebecca McCaffery, THIERRY FRÉTEY, Bernard Le Garff, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A. Eby, Brad A. Lambert, Johan Elmberg, Juha Merilä, Jérôme M. W. Gippet, Jean‐Michel Gaillard, David S. Pilliod
Abstract
, mean annual precipitation and human environmental footprint both had negligible effects on senescence rates or lifespans. Overall, our findings demonstrate the critical influence of thermal conditions on mortality patterns across anuran species from temperate regions. In the current context of further global temperature increases predicted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios, a widespread acceleration of aging in amphibians is expected to occur in the decades to come, which might threaten even more seriously the viability of populations and exacerbate global decline.