What happens when the climate changes faster than species can adapt?
What happens when the climate changes faster than species can adapt?
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that many tropical insects may face exactly that challenge.
Researchers working in Costa Rica's Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) found that insects living in the cool cloud forests of Volcán Cacao have evolved to thrive within a remarkably narrow range of temperatures. As the climate warms, these species may have little ability to cope with hotter conditions moving upslope.
At the same time, insects living in the hot lowland forests appear to already be living close to their upper heat limits.
Read More: Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund
Image: Authors M. Alex Smith and Alexandre M. M. C. Loureiro on the trail to Cacao Volcano, Costa Rica (Credit: Alex Smith)
