Changes in phenology are among the most pervasive effects of current climate change. Modifications in the timing of life‐cycle events can affect the behavior, physiology and life‐history of wildlife. However, organisms can develop compensatory strategies in order to reduce the costs of phenological alterations. Here, we examine the extent and limits of compensatory developmental responses in amphibian larvae exposed to variation in hatching timing. Using a common‐garden experiment, we analyze how changes in temperature and food conditions alter compensatory responses to hatching delay, paying particular attention at how adverse environmental conditions can constrain these responses. We found that under benign conditions (warm temperature, unrestricted food) larvae fully compensate for the hatching delay, without cost in mass. However, under detrimental conditions (cold temperature and restricted food) these responses were prevented, and the combination of adverse conditions with long hatching delay completely disrupt compensatory responses. This study highlights the need of examining ecological responses to climate variation across a broad spectrum of environmental conditions in order to accurately predict the putative effect that climatic alterations can have on the life‐histories and survival of wildlife.

中文翻译：

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两栖幼虫对物候变化的代偿反应的极限

物候变化是当前气候变化最普遍的影响之一。生命周期事件发生时间的改变会影响野生动植物的行为，生理和生活史。但是，有机体可以制定补偿策略，以减少物候变化的成本。在这里，我们检查暴露于孵化时间变化的两栖幼虫的代偿性发育反应的程度和限制。我们使用一个普通的花园实验，分析温度和食物条件的变化如何改变对孵化延迟的补偿性反应，并特别注意不利的环境条件如何限制这些反应。我们发现，在良性条件下（温暖的温度，不受限制的食物），幼虫可以完全弥补孵化的延迟，而无需花费大量成本。然而，在不利条件下（低温和食物受限），可以防止这些反应，长期孵化时间长的不利条件会完全破坏补偿反应。这项研究强调了需要在广泛的环境条件下研究对气候变化的生态响应，以便准确预测气候变化可能对野生生物的生活史和生存产生的推定作用。