Physiological, morphological and ecological traits drive desiccation resistance in north temperate dung beetles.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns threaten the existence of many organisms. It is therefore informative to identify the functional traits that underlie differences in desiccation resistance to understand the response of different species to changes in water availability resulting from climate change. We used adult dung beetles as model species due to their importance to ecosystem services. We investigated: (i) the effect of physiological (water loss rate, water loss tolerance, body water content), morphological (body mass) and ecological (nesting behaviour) traits on desiccation resistance; (ii) the role of phylogenetic relatedness in the above associations; and, (iii) whether relatively large or small individuals within a species have similar

SUBMITTER: Nervo B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10127359 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature