Temperatures that sterilize males better match global species distributions than lethal temperatures

Steven R. Parratt*, Benjamin S. Walsh, Soeren Metelmann, Nicola White, Andri Manser, Amanda J. Bretman, Ary A. Hoffmann, Rhonda R. Snook, Tom A.R. Price*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

103 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Attempts to link physiological thermal tolerance to global species distributions have relied on lethal temperature limits, yet many organisms lose fertility at sublethal temperatures. Here we show that, across 43 Drosophila species, global distributions better match male-sterilizing temperatures than lethal temperatures. This suggests that species distributions may be determined by thermal limits to reproduction, not survival, meaning we may be underestimating the impacts of climate change for many organisms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)481-484
Number of pages4
JournalNature Climate Change
Volume11
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

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