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Vulnerability of megapodes (Megapodiidae, Aves) to climate change and related threats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2018

PAUL M. RADLEY Open the ORCID record for PAUL M. RADLEY [Opens in a new window] ,
ROBERT A. DAVIS ,
RENÉ W.R.J. DEKKER ,
SHAUN W. MOLLOY ,
DAVID BLAKE  and
ROBERT HEINSOHN
PAUL M. RADLEY*
Affiliation:
School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
ROBERT A. DAVIS
Affiliation:
School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
RENÉ W.R.J. DEKKER
Affiliation:
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
SHAUN W. MOLLOY
Affiliation:
School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Southwest Campus, 585 Robertson Drive, College Grove, WA, 6230, Australia
DAVID BLAKE
Affiliation:
School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
ROBERT HEINSOHN
Affiliation:
Fenner School of Environment and Society, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australia National University, Building 141, Linnaeus Way, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
*
*Correspondence: Paul M. Radley email: pratincola@hotmail.com
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Summary

Aspects of species life histories may increase their susceptibility to climate change. Owing to their exclusive reliance on environmental sources of heat for incubation, megapodes may be especially vulnerable. We employed a trait-based vulnerability assessment to weigh their exposure to projected climate variables of increasing temperatures, fluctuating rainfall and sea level rise and their biological sensitivity and capacity to adapt. While all 21 species were predicted to experience at least a 2 °C increase in mean annual temperature, 12 to experience a moderate or greater fluctuation in rainfall and 16 to experience rising seas, the most vulnerable megapodes are intrinsically rare and range restricted. Species that employ microbial decomposition for incubation may have an adaptive advantage over those that do not and may be more resilient to climate change. The moderate microclimate necessary for mound incubation, however, may in some areas be threatened by anthropogenic habitat loss exacerbated by warmer and seasonally drier conditions. As with many avian species, little is known about the capacity of megapodes to adapt to a changing climate. We therefore recommend that future research efforts investigate megapode fecundity, gene flow and genetic connectivity at the population level to better determine their adaptive capacity.

Keywords

MegapodiidaemegapodesIndo-Pacificclimate changesea level risetrait-based vulnerability assessment
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , December 2018 , pp. 396 - 406
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2018 

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