Mesler Sarah P, Mabry Karen E
Department of Biology, MSC 3AF New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA.
Mov Ecol. 2024 Dec 3;12(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s40462-024-00516-3.
With ongoing anthropogenic climate change, there is increasing interest in how organisms are affected by higher temperatures, including how animals respond behaviorally to increasing temperatures. Movement behavior is especially relevant, as the ability of a species to shift its range is implicitly dependent upon movement capacity and motivation. Temperature may influence movement behavior of ectotherms both directly, through an increase in body temperature, and indirectly, through temperature-dependent effects on physiological and morphological traits.
We investigated the influence of ambient temperature during two life stages, larval and adult, on body size and movement behavior of the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). We reared painted ladies to emergence at either a "low" (24 °C) or "high" (28 °C) temperature. At eclosion, we assessed flight behavior in an arena test. We used a full factorial experimental design in which half of the adults that emerged from each rearing treatment were tested at either the "low" or "high" temperature. We measured adult body size, including wingspan, and determined flight speed, distance, and duration from video recordings.
Adult butterflies that experienced the higher temperature during development were larger. We documented an interaction of rearing x testing temperature on flight behavior: unexpectedly, the fastest butterflies were those who experienced a change in temperature, whether an increase or decrease, between rearing and testing. Individuals that experienced matching thermal environments flew more slowly, but for more time and covering more distance. We found no influence of body size per se on flight.
We conclude that the potential role of "matching" thermal environments across life stages has been underinvestigated with regard to how organisms may respond to warming conditions.
随着人为气候变化的持续，人们越来越关注生物体如何受到高温影响，包括动物如何对温度升高做出行为反应。移动行为尤为重要，因为物种转移其分布范围的能力隐含地依赖于移动能力和动机。温度可能直接通过体温升高，以及间接通过对生理和形态特征的温度依赖性影响，来影响变温动物的移动行为。
我们研究了幼虫和成虫两个生命阶段的环境温度对锦葵蛱蝶（ Vanessa cardui ）体型和移动行为的影响。我们将锦葵蛱蝶在“低”（24°C）或“高”（28°C）温度下饲养至羽化。羽化时，我们在竞技场测试中评估飞行行为。我们采用完全析因实验设计，其中每个饲养处理羽化出的成虫中有一半在“低”或“高”温度下进行测试。我们测量了成虫的体型，包括翅展，并从视频记录中确定飞行速度、距离和持续时间。
在发育过程中经历较高温度的成年蝴蝶体型更大。我们记录到饲养温度与测试温度对飞行行为的交互作用：出乎意料的是，飞行最快的蝴蝶是那些在饲养和测试之间经历了温度变化（无论是升高还是降低）的蝴蝶。经历匹配热环境的个体飞行速度较慢，但飞行时间更长，飞行距离更远。我们发现体型本身对飞行没有影响。
我们得出结论，关于生物体如何应对变暖条件，跨生命阶段“匹配”热环境的潜在作用尚未得到充分研究。
