Mediterranean moth diversity is sensitive to increasing temperatures and drought under climate change.

ABSTRACT: Climate change affects ecosystems worldwide and is threatening biodiversity. Insects, as ectotherm organisms, are strongly dependent on the thermal environment. Yet, little is known about the effects of summer heat and drought on insect diversity. In the Mediterranean climate zone, a region strongly affected by climate change, hot summers might have severe effects on insect communities. Especially the larval stage might be sensitive to thermal variation, as larvae-compared to other life stages-cannot avoid hot temperatures and drought by dormancy. Here we ask, whether inter-annual fluctuations in Mediterranean moth diversity can be explained by temperature (T_Larv) and precipitation during larval development (H_Larv). To address our question, we analyzed moth communitie

SUBMITTER: Uhl B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9411567 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature