Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones-CONICET, Bertoni 85, 3370, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
Instituto Universitario de Investigación - Centro Iberoamericano de la Biodiversidad, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2020 Aug 7;10(1):13364. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-70284-8.
In terrestrial ecosystems, insects face a wide range of temperatures among habitats and time; consequently, the thermal niche is one of the main determinants of habitat selection and temporal patterns of activity. The replacement of native forests changes micro-climatic conditions and reduces the diversity of dung beetles; however, the physiological mechanisms behind these changes are not clear. We explore the role of the thermal niche in dung beetles to explain the ability of native species to exploit human-created habitats. Using infrared thermography, we measured variables associated with the thermal niche in 17 native species and used linear mixed-effects model and ANOVAs to compare disturbed habitats and the native forest. Endothermy and body mass explained the ability of dung beetles to exploit human-created open habitats. Small and diurnal species with very low endothermy were able to exploit deforested open habitats; evening/nocturnal/crepuscular species showed similar body mass and high endothermy in all habitats. Regarding thermoregulation mechanisms, none of the species (except one) showed defined or efficient mechanisms of physiological thermoregulation. In view of the accelerated process of forest replacement and climate change, a more profound understanding of the physiological requirements of species is essential to predict and mitigate future extinctions.
在陆地生态系统中，昆虫在栖息地和时间上都会面临广泛的温度范围；因此，热生态位是栖息地选择和活动时间模式的主要决定因素之一。原生森林的更替改变了微气候条件，减少了蜣螂的多样性；然而，这些变化背后的生理机制尚不清楚。我们探讨了热生态位在蜣螂中的作用，以解释本地物种利用人为创造的栖息地的能力。我们使用红外热成像技术测量了 17 种本地物种与热生态位相关的变量，并使用线性混合效应模型和方差分析来比较干扰生境和原生林。温血性和体重解释了蜣螂利用人为创造的开阔栖息地的能力。体型小、昼行性且温血性极低的物种能够利用森林砍伐后的开阔栖息地；而夜行性/黄昏性/黎明性物种在所有栖息地中都具有相似的体重和较高的温血性。关于体温调节机制，除了一种物种外，没有一种物种表现出明确或有效的生理体温调节机制。鉴于森林替换和气候变化的加速过程，更深入地了解物种的生理需求对于预测和减轻未来的灭绝至关重要。
