Earth and Life Institute, Behavioural Ecology &Conservation Group, Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 15;6:36941. doi: 10.1038/srep36941.
Life histories of organisms may vary with latitude as they experience different thermal constraints and challenges. This geographic, intraspecific variation could be of significance for range dynamics under climate change beyond edge-core comparisons. In this study, we did a reciprocal transplant experiment between the temperature-regimes of two latitudes with an ectotherm insect, examining the effects on energy metabolism and flight performance. Pararge aegeria expanded its ecological niche from cool woodland (ancestral) to warmer habitat in agricultural landscape (novel ecotype). Northern males had higher standard metabolic rates than southern males, but in females these rates depended on their ecotype. Southern males flew for longer than northern ones. In females, body mass-corrected flight performance depended on latitude and thermal treatment during larval development and in case of the southern females, their interaction. Our experimental study provides evidence for the role of ecological differentiation at the core of the range to modulate ecophysiology and flight performance at different latitudes, which in turn may affect the climatic responsiveness of the species.
生物体的生活史可能会随纬度而变化，因为它们会经历不同的热限制和挑战。这种地理上的种内变异对于气候变化下的范围动态可能具有重要意义，超出了边缘核心比较。在这项研究中，我们在两种温度区系之间进行了一个外温动物昆虫的相互移植实验，研究了对能量代谢和飞行性能的影响。Pararge aegeria 从凉爽的林地（祖先）扩展到农业景观中的温暖栖息地（新生态型），扩大了其生态位。北方雄虫的标准代谢率高于南方雄虫，但在雌虫中，这些速率取决于它们的生态型。南方雄虫的飞行时间比北方雄虫长。在雌虫中，体重校正的飞行性能取决于纬度和幼虫发育过程中的热处理，对于南方雌虫，还取决于它们的相互作用。我们的实验研究为核心区域的生态分化在调节不同纬度的生态生理学和飞行性能方面的作用提供了证据，这反过来又可能影响物种对气候的响应能力。
