Behavior as a Keystone Trait: A Conceptual Framework Applied to the Problem of Heat.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Global temperatures are rising, increasing the need to understand adaptation mechanisms.
• Physiological responses to heat are well-studied, but the role of behavior remains a gap.
• Behavioral traits may act as keystone traits influencing adaptation to heat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a behavior-centric framework for studying adaptation to heat.
• To highlight the importance of diverse behavioral traits in mitigating heat stress.
• To guide future research on the role of behavior in environmental change.

Main Methods:

• This perspective piece outlines a conceptual framework for future research.
• It emphasizes scrutinizing the scope, causes, and consequences of behavioral variation.
• It advocates for expanding the types of behaviors studied and integrating across scales.

Main Results:

• Behavioral traits can have disproportionate and cascading effects on performance and evolution under heat.
• A behavior-centric approach is essential for understanding adaptation to rising temperatures.
• Identifying keystone behaviors can improve predictions of organismal responses.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral traits are critical for defending against heat stress.
• Future research should adopt an explicitly behavior-centric framework.
• Understanding behavioral adaptation is key to predicting species' responses to climate change.