Meeting Abstract

P2-133   -    Interspecific variation in butterfly warming tolerances and consequences for population size under recent climate change Muzychuk, RA*; Diamond, SE; Medina-Báez, OA; Case Western Reserve University; Case Western Reserve University; Case Western Reserve University Rut.A.Muzychuk@gmail.com

As global temperatures continue to rise under climate change, organismal thermal physiologies are being challenged. Interspecific differences in the capacity to cope with increasing temperature might therefore provide insights into their resilience under recent climate change. Here, we assessed the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) for 10 butterfly species. We then computed the warming tolerance, or the difference between CTmax and indices of environmental temperature, for each species. We found substantial differences between species CTmax values and their warming tolerances. Finally, we assessed whether the warming tolerances were related to changes in the butterfly species abundances over the last quarter century. The abundance data were obtained from a long-term monitoring scheme throughout the state of Ohio in the Midwestern United States. We predicted that butterflies with lower warming tolerances would be in the greatest abundance decline compared with more tolerant species. Overall, our study shows how linking physiological traits with population trends can aid in understanding species responses to global change.