The myriad of complex demographic responses of terrestrial mammals to climate change and gaps of knowledge: A global analysis.

Approximately 25% of mammals are currently threatened with extinction, a risk that is amplified under climate change. Species persistence under climate change is determined by the combined effects of climatic factors on multiple demographic rates (survival, development and reproduction), and hence, population dynamics. Thus, to quantify which species and regions on Earth are most vulnerable to climate-driven extinction, a global understanding of how different demographic rates respond to climate is urgently needed. Here, we perform a systematic review of literature on demographic responses to climate, focusing on terrestrial mammals, for which extensive demographic data are available. To assess the full spectrum of responses, we synthesize information from studies that quantitatively link climate to multiple demographic rates. We find only 106 such studies, corresponding to 87 mammal species. These 87 species constitute <1% of all terrestrial mammals. Our synthesis reveals a strong mismatch between the locations of demographic studies and the regions and taxa currently recognized as most vulnerable to climate change. Surprisingly, for most mammals and regions sensitive to climate change, holistic demographic responses to climate remain unknown. At the same time, we reveal that filling this knowledge gap is critical as the effects of climate change will operate via complex demographic mechanisms: a vast majority of mammal populations display projected increases in some demographic rates but declines in others, often depending on the specific environmental context, complicating simple projections of population fates. Assessments of population viability under climate change are in critical need to gather data that account for multiple demographic responses, and coordinated actions to assess demography holistically should be prioritized for mammals and other taxa.

Parasitic plant litter input: a novel indirect mechanism influencing plant community structure.

Parasitic plants have major impacts on plant community structure through their direct negative influence on host productivity and competitive ability. However, the possibility that these parasites may also have indirect impacts on community structure (via the mechanism of nutrient-rich litter input) while long hypothesized, has remained unsupported until now. Using the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor, we established experimental grassland mesocosms to quantify the impacts of Rhinanthus litter and parasitism across two soil fertility levels. We measured the biomass and tissue nutrient concentration of three functional groups within these communities to determine their physiological response to resource abstraction and litter input by the parasite. We show that Rhinanthus alters the biomass and nutrient status of co-occurring plants with contrasting effects on different functional groups via the mechanism of nutrient-rich litter input. Critically, in the case of grass and total community biomass, this partially negates biomass reductions caused directly by parasitism. This demonstrates that the influence of parasitic plant litter on plant community structure can be of equal importance to the much-reported direct impacts of parasitism. We must consider both positive indirect (litter) and negative direct (parasitism) impacts of parasitic plants to understand their role in structuring plant communities.