In a new study published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology, researchers have discovered significant variations in the ability of different UK butterfly species to maintain a suitable body temperature.
In a new study published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology, researchers have discovered significant variations in the ability of different UK butterfly species to maintain a suitable body temperature.
Species that mostly rely on finding shade to keep cool are at greatest risk of population decline, due to climate change and habitat loss.
Dr Andrew Bladon, first author of the report, is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology. He says the results will inform conservation strategies to protect butterflies.
The study shows that larger and paler butterflies including the Large White (Pieris brassicae) and Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) are best able to buffer themselves against environmental temperature swings. They angle their large, reflective wings in relation to the sun, and use them to direct the sun’s heat either away from, or onto their bodies. These species have either stable or growing populations.
Read more at University of Cambridge
Image: Latin name: Gonepteryx rhamni. (Credit: Andrew Bladon)
