Meeting Abstract
Thermal tolerance is a critical physiological trait with potentially broad ecological implications. Studies have linked critical thermal minima and maxima (CTmin and CTmax, respectively) to geographic distributions of diverse organisms, and these thermal limits will likely play a critical role in predicting shifts in geographic ranges and timing of phenological events in response to climate change. Recently, native bees have shown shifts in geographic ranges and phenology, however, despite their ecological importance, very little data exist on the thermal physiology of native bees and the mechanisms underlying thermal limits. We developed and implemented a high throughput analysis for determining CTmin and CTmax of bumblebees (Bombus impatiens). Comparison of CTmin and CTmax from high- and low-elevation populations of bumblebees reveals variation in these traits with respect to body size and in response to acclimation. Characterizing thermal limits for native pollinators may be particularly important for predicting responses to ongoing climate change.
