Biotic selective pressures dominate explanations for the evolutionary ecology of tropical endotherms. Yet, abiotic factors, principally precipitation regimes, shape biogeographical and phenological patterns in tropical regions. Despite its importance, we lack a framework for understanding when, why, and how rain affects endotherms. Here, we review how tropical birds and mammals respond to rain at individual, population, and community levels, and propose a conceptual framework to interpret divergent responses. Diverse direct and indirect mechanisms underlie responses to rainfall, including physiological, top-down, and food-related drivers. Our framework constitutes a roadmap for the empirical studies required to understand the consequences of rainfall variability. Identifying the patterns and mechanisms underpinning responses to temporal variation in precipitation is crucial to anticipate consequences of anthropogenic climate change.

生物选择压力主导着热带吸热进化生态学的解释。然而，非生物因素（主要是降水机制）影响着热带地区的生物地理和物候模式。尽管它很重要，但我们缺乏一个框架来了解何时，为什么以及如何降雨影响吸热。在这里，我们回顾了热带鸟类和哺乳动物如何在个人，人口和社区层面对雨水做出反应，并提出了一个概念框架来解释不同的反应。多种直接和间接机制是降雨响应的基础，包括生理，自上而下和与食物相关的驱动因素。我们的框架构成了了解降雨变化后果所需的经验研究的路线图。