Live fast, die young? Day- and night-warming affect the growth, survivorship, and behavior of caterpillars in the field.

ABSTRACT: While both daytime and nighttime temperatures are increasing with climate change, few studies have experimentally investigated their differential effects under field conditions. We conducted a factorial field experiment examining how day- and night-warming impact the growth, survivorship, and behavior of cabbage white caterpillars (Pieris rapae). In this experiment, the night-warming only treatment showed the highest rates of caterpillar growth, but also showed the highest mortality, the shortest maximum caterpillar lengths, the least accumulated herbivory, and reduced pupation. Caterpillars in the treatments that were not warmed during the day showed daytime-shifted growth, and caterpillars in the combined day- and night-warming treatment showed strongly night-shifted herbivory. Both biot

SUBMITTER: Yang LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12223705 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature