Body mass, temperature, and pathogen intensity differentially affect critical thermal maxima and their population-level variation in a solitary bee.

ABSTRACT: Climate change presents a major threat to species distribution and persistence. Understanding what abiotic or biotic factors influence the thermal tolerances of natural populations is critical to assessing their vulnerability under rapidly changing thermal regimes. This study evaluates how body mass, local climate, and pathogen intensity influence heat tolerance and its population-level variation (SD) among individuals of the solitary bee Xenoglossa pruinosa. We assess the sex-specific relationships between these factors and heat tolerance given the differences in size between sexes and the ground-nesting behavior of the females. We collected X. pruinosa individuals from 14 sites across Pennsylvania, USA, that varied in mean temperature, precipitation, and soil texture

SUBMITTER: Jones LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10867875 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature