Drought-induced starvation of aardvarks in the Kalahari: an indirect effect of climate change.

摘要: Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are elusive burrowing mammals, predominantly nocturnal and distributed widely throughout Africa except for arid deserts. Their survival may be threatened by climate change via direct indirect effects of increasing heat aridity. To measure their current physiological plasticity, we implanted biologgers into six adult aardvarks resident in the semi-arid Kalahari. Following a particularly dry hot summer, five study 11 other at site died. Body temperature records revealed homeothermy (35.4-37.2°C) initially, but heterothermy increased progressively through with declining troughs nychthemeral rhythm body reaching as low 25°C before death, likely due to starvation. Activity patterns shifted from normal diurnal mode. Our results do not bode well future facing change. Extirpation aardvarks, which play key role ecosystem engineers, disrupt stability African ecosystems.