Meeting Abstract
Evolutionary adaptation of the ‘thermal performance curve’ (TPC) to changes in the thermal environment may be an important avenue by which ectotherms can avoid extinction in the face of climate change. Indeed, studies have shown that many populations have sufficient phenotypic variation in TPCs, and that selection can target them when the environment shifts. Nevertheless, very little is known about the heritability of these traits, or whether their genetic architecture is conducive to rapid adaptation. This represents a critical gap in knowledge because genetic correlations between parameters that define the shape of a TPC may hasten or constrain evolutionary change. We measured the thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance in lab-reared populations of a vertebrate, the lizard Anolis sagrei, and an invertebrate, the globally invasive beetle Harmonia axyridis. We discuss how correlations among thermal performance traits may constrain evolutionary responses to climate change in these species, even when TPCs are heritable and under strong selection in nature.
