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Cryptic Reproductive Costs of Heatwaves for Animal Populations.
Chiara Morosinotto1,2, Clelia Gasparini1,2, Andrea Pilastro1,2
1Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Global Change Biology
|November 12, 2025
Summary
Climate change-induced heatwaves severely impact biodiversity, causing hidden reproductive issues. These sublethal effects, including transgenerational impacts, alter sexual selection and threaten populations long-term.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Climate Change Science
Background:
- Climate change poses significant threats to biodiversity, with heatwaves being a major concern.
- While heatwave mortality is evident, sublethal effects on reproduction are less understood.
- Reproductive impacts include immediate fertility issues and transgenerational consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sublethal effects of heatwaves on reproduction across various life stages.
- To explore the transgenerational and epigenetic impacts of heatwaves on offspring fitness.
- To understand how heatwaves influence sexual selection processes and their evolutionary outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on heatwave impacts on reproductive fitness.
- Analysis of potential mechanisms, including parental and epigenetic effects.
- Examination of how altered reproductive traits affect sexual selection.
Main Results:
- Heatwaves impact fitness from gamete formation through offspring development and beyond.
- Sublethal effects can be cryptic, extending across generations.
- Heatwaves increase variance in reproductive traits, influencing intra- and inter-sexual selection.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the cryptic reproductive costs of heatwaves is crucial for assessing their demographic and evolutionary impacts.
- Further empirical research is needed to quantify these effects on sexual selection.
- Heatwave impacts on reproduction have significant implications for population persistence and evolution.
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