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 language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 481-484 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Nature Climate Change |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.