Vulnerability of ectotherms to extreme temperatures: from mechanisms to climate change projections

Ongoing climate change increases the frequency and magnitude of thermally extreme weather events. Extremely high temperatures have a direct impact on the individual survival and population dynamics of ectothermic (cold-blooded) organisms. While extensive research has
focused on unraveling the temperature tolerance, many mechanisms enabling ectotherms to reduce individual exposure or enhance population resilience to temperature extremes remain underexplored. This knowledge gap hinders a comprehensive understanding of climate change impacts on ectotherm populations. Our aim is to combine laboratory and mesocosm experiments with ecological mechanistic modeling to improve our understanding of mechanisms and forecast impacts of temperature extremes on ectotherm population dynamics and species interactions using a caudate amphibian and its interacting taxa as a model system. Through these efforts, we anticipate that our findings will contribute significantly to refining predictions concerning the effects of climate change on ectotherms’ population dynamics and species
interactions.