Extreme temperature tolerance of army ants could inform how animal populations will respond to changing climates
Monday, June 12, 2023 - 10:33
in Biology & Nature
Drexel University researchers sampled a variety of army ant (Eciton burchellii parvispinum) colonies to test how their habitat distribution affected the ants' tolerances of extreme low and high temperatures. What they found was colonies' thermal tolerances differed by elevation zone—but outstandingly—significant colony differences in thermal tolerance existed within similar zones, leading the team to believe that local adaption to temperatures is not the only factor contributing to differences in thermal physiology.