Limited thermal tolerance in tropical insects and its genomic signature
Nature • • general
Key Points:
- The study was conducted along elevational gradients in Peru (245–3,588 masl) and Kenya (11–3,450 masl), covering diverse habitats from wet rainforests to semi-arid lowlands, with detailed climatic characterizations including temperature and precipitation patterns.
- Insects from major orders were collected seasonally in Peru and once in Kenya using sweep nets, and their critical thermal limits (CTmin and CTmax) were measured under controlled temperature ramping protocols to assess thermal tolerance across elevations.
- DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analyses were performed on over 4,300 insects to classify species-like units and reconstruct evolutionary relationships, enabling investigation of thermal tolerance traits in relation to phylogeny and elevation.
- Protein thermal
