Does habitat fragmentation affect temperature-related life-history traits? A laboratory test with a woodland butterfly

摘要: Habitat fragmentation may change local climatic conditions leading to altered selection regimes for life-history traits in small ectotherms, including several insects. We investigated temperature-related performance terms of fitness among populations the woodland butterfly Pararge aegeria (L.) originating from a closed, continuous landscape versus an open, highly fragmented agricultural central Belgium. Female fecundity and longevity were evaluated temperature-gradient experiment. As predicted, females origin reached higher maximum daily lifetime number eggs than did at low ambient temperatures, but this reversed high temperature. Egg weight decreased with temperature, butterflies smaller. Contrary what is generally assumed, remaining thorax mass was better predictor reproductive output abdomen mass. Since we used F2 generation wild-caught reared under common garden conditions, observed effects are likely rely on intrinsic, heritable variation. Our results suggest that differential associated different landscapes intervene by intraspecific variation response thus be helpful when making predictions future impacts how wild respond environmental global scenario, increasing temperatures landscapes.