Insects find it difficult to control the high temperatures caused by climate change և can endanger overheating. According to a new study by Lund University in Sweden, the ability to reproduce is greatly affected by rising temperatures, even in the northern regions of the world.
Insects can not regulate their body temperature, which is greatly affected by the temperature of their immediate environment. In an ongoing study, researchers studied two closely related species of algae in Sweden. The aim was to understand their strength կարող ability to tolerate temperature changes.
To study this, researchers in southern Sweden used a combination of field-based infrared camera technology (thermography), a technology that allows body temperature to be measured in natural conditions. This information was then linked to the survival and reproductive success of the barriers of their natural populations.
The results show that the survival of these dams was high at a relatively low temperature of 15-20 ° C. Reproduction, on the other hand, was higher at 20 to 30 ° C, depending on the species.
“Consequently, there is a temperature-dependent conflict between the ability to survive and the ability to reproduce on the one hand,” said Eric Swenson, a professor of biology at Lund University who led the study.
Studies show that dams’ ability to cope with heat-related stress is limited. Insects are cold-hearted invertebrates, so they rely on external sources such as sun or hot stones to raise their body temperature.
“Our results show that cold-blooded animals can suffer from overheating even if they live far away in the northern hemisphere, that their ability to raise their body temperature above rising outside temperatures is limited. The results also challenge the popular theory that animals’ plasticity, that is, their individual resilience, can help them survive in harsher environments, such as heat waves, ”says Eric Swenson.
Reference. Eric S. Swenson, Miguel Gomez-Llano և T. on T. Waller “The choice of phenotypic plasticity contributes to thermal canalization”, 2020 November 24, Scientific Bulletin of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073 / pnas.2012454117: