Climate change is a major threat to species worldwide, yet it remains uncertain whether tropical or temperate species are more vulnerable to changing temperatures. To further our understanding of this, we used a standardised field protocol to (1) study the buffering ability (ability to regulate body temperature relative to surrounding air temperature) of neotropical (Panama) and temperate (the United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Austria) butterflies at the assemblage and family level, (2) determine if any differences in buffering ability were driven by morphological characteristics and (3) used ecologically relevant temperature measurements to investigate how butterflies use microclimates and behaviour to thermoregulate. We hypothesised that temperate butterflies would be better at buffering than neotropical butterflies as temperate species naturally experience a wider range of temperatures than their tropical counterparts. Contrary to our hypothesis, at the assemblage level, neotropical species (especially Nymphalidae) were better at buffering than temperate species, driven primarily by neotropical individuals cooling themselves more at higher air temperatures. Morphology was the main driver of differences in buffering ability between neotropical and temperate species as opposed to the thermal environment butterflies experienced. Temperate butterflies used postural thermoregulation to raise their body temperature more than neotropical butterflies, probably as an adaptation to temperate climates, but the selection of microclimates did not differ between regions. Our findings demonstrate that butterfly species have unique thermoregulatory strategies driven by behaviour and morphology, and that neotropical species are not likely to be more inherently vulnerable to warming than temperate species.

El calentamiento global es una gran amenaza para las especies alrededor del mundo, sin embargo, no se tiene bien definido sí en los insectos, las especies distribuídas en las zonas tropicales son más vulnerables a los cambios de temperature que las especies de zonas templadas o viceversa. Para responder a este interrogante, utilizamos un protocolo de campo estandarizado aplicado a especies de mariposas distribuídas en zonas tropicales (Panamá) versus zonas templadas (Reino Unido, República Checa y Austria), con el cual buscamos: (1) Evaluar la capacidad de amortiguación (capacidad de regular la temperatura corporal en relación con la temperatura del aire circundante) en el a nivel de ensamblaje y familia, (2) Determinar sí las diferencias en la capacidad de amortiguación es facilitada por sus características morfológicas, y (3) Investigar cómo las mariposas usan los microclimas y el comportamiento para termorregularse a tráves de mediciones de temperatura ecológicamente relevantes. Nuestra hipotesis incial soportaba que las mariposas templadas estaban adaptadas para amortiguar los cambios de temperatura en comparación con las mariposas neotropicales, ya que las especies templadas experimentan un rango más amplio de temperaturas que sus contrapartes tropicales. Contrariamente a nuestra hipótesis, a nivel de ensamble, las especies neotropicales (especialmente familia Nymphalidae) fueron mejores en la capaicidad de amortiguacion que las especies templadas, explicado por el hecho de que individuos se enfrían más a altas temperaturas del aire. Así, la morfología fué el principal impulsor de las diferencias en la capacidad de amortiguación entre las especies neotropicales y templadas en comparación con el ambiente térmico experimentado por las mismas. Encontramos que las mariposas templadas utilizaron la termorregulación de postura para elevar su temperatura corporal más que las mariposas neotropicales, probablemente como una adaptación a los climas templados, aunque la selección de microclimas no difirió entre regiones. Nuestros hallazgos demuestran que las especies de mariposas tienen estrategias de termorregulación únicas, impulsadas principalmente por el comportamiento y morfología, además nuestros resultados demuestran que a diferencia de lo que se ha pensado, las especies neotropicales son igual de vulnerables al calentamiento de su hábitat que las especies templadas.

Department of Biosciences Durham University Durham UK

Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Entomology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Maestria de Entomologia University of Panama Panama City Panama

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama

Wildlife Trust of Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Cambourne UK

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