Subtle shifts in coastal fog have lasting effects on burying beetle reproductive success

Subtle shifts in coastal fog have lasting effects on burying beetle reproductive success | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Subtle shifts in coastal fog have lasting effects on burying beetle reproductive success Tracie Elizabeth Hayes This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7660959/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Under climate change, shifts in temperature and the resulting effects on organisms and ecosystems have been studied in depth. Less is known about how moisture availability, another important factor shifting with climate change, affects species survival and reproduction. One example of this is decreasing fog along the northern California coast, an area with many communities that rely on the moisture from summer fog during an otherwise dry season. Here, I test the immediate and delayed effects of fog deposition on the reproductive behaviors, number of larvae, and survival of a species of burying beetle, Nicrophorus guttula. Burying beetles require a small carcass to reproduce, and they are sensitive to moisture availability. Using experimental chambers in the field, I gave male-female beetle pairs a resource to reproduce on, and either a control or fog treatment at the beginning of the reproductive process. I measured the likelihood of burial, the likelihood of reproduction, the number of larvae, and survival of the adult beetles for three separate cohorts after different lengths of time. While effects of fog on burial were temporary, there were persistent and delayed positive effects of fog on the number of larvae produced. The addition of fog increased the expected number of larvae by 78%. These results have implications for organisms that are sensitive to changes in moisture availability, especially those that may go unnoticed if only responding after a delay. climate change moisture ephemeral resources scavengers fitness Full Text Supplementary Files ch3ESM20250919.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7660959","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":519441809,"identity":"7067eda2-4dba-4341-ba59-76f6f6b42c2d","order_by":0,"name":"Tracie Elizabeth 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