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Butterfly thermoregulation across habitats and climates
LAIRD-HOPKINS, Benita Carmen
Global warming, through rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, is placing major stress on species and ecosystems. Understanding how species respond to temperature and the mechanisms underpinning thermoregulation can help us predict which species are most vulnerable in the face of warming. In this thesis, I explore how butterflies across different habitats and climates thermoregulate and the mechanisms, including morphology and behaviour, underlaying thermoregulatory ability. Firstly, when comparing the buffering ability of neotropical and temperate butterflies I found that tropical butterflies were able to maintain more stable body temperatures than temperate butterflies, and this was likely driven by their morphology. I also found that temperate butterflies used postural means to raise their body temperature more than neotropical species, likely an adaptation to the cooler air temperatures they experience. Secondly, I showed the importance of butterflies' thermoregulatory abilities at the community level, by comparing thermoregulation of European butterflies across geographic regions and climatic zones. This study highlighted that behavioural thermoregulation, including the use of microclimates and postural means, drives regional differences in butterflies' thermoregulatory abilities. Finally, I utilised the Müllerian mimicry exhibited in Heliconius butterflies to untangle the contributions of morphology and phylogeny in butterfly thermoregulation, investigating thermal traits, including buffering ability, take-off temperature and heating rate. I found that morphology, not phylogeny, was the main driver of thermoregulation in these butterflies. Further, I investigated differences in the thermoregulatory ability of Heliconius butterflies from different habitats. I found that species from colder habitats were able to maintain a more stable body temperature and took off at a lower temperature than those from hotter habitats, suggesting there is local adaptation or acclimation in thermal traits. Overall, this work highlights that species have their own unique thermoregulatory abilities, as a result of the thermal environment they experience, and that thermoregulation is driven by morphology, behaviour and physiology. My findings have important consequences for predicting the impacts of climate change on ectotherms, by highlighting variation in thermal ability which makes some populations and species more vulnerable, while others more resilient. This thesis lays the groundwork for future studies comparing species' thermal traits across climates and habitats, increasing our understanding of how species cope with climate and land-use change.
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