Coping with change: interactive effects of anthropogenic change influence the breeding success and survival of a desert-dwelling cooperative breeder

Habitat modification and climate change are major threats to biodiversity.
Using 38 years of data (1985–2023), we examined their combined influence
on a desert-dwelling cooperative breeder’s reproductive success and
projected the likely magnitude of future effects of these threats under
two climate scenarios for the end of the century (2100). In natural
habitats, rainfall increased reproductive success, while extreme
temperatures reduced survival. Human-modified habitats buffered against
climate extremes, resulting in higher reproductive success even in dry and
hot conditions. Future projections indicate likely declines in lifetime
reproductive success in natural habitats, but the same projected declines
are not observed in modified habitats, which may offer temporary refugia
against climate effects. Larger social groups had higher reproductive
success and survival rates in both habitat types, highlighting the
important role of helpers in cooperatively breeding species. Our findings
highlight (i) the need to assess multiple anthropogenic factors to fully
understand their impact on species' fitness and (ii) the importance
of long-term datasets in addressing the complex relationship between the
multiple drivers of anthropogenic change.