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Testing the hypothesis of greater eurythermality in invasive than in native ladybird species: from physiological performance to life‐history strategies
Author(s) -
BARAHONASEGOVIA RODRIGO M.,
GREZ AUDREY A.,
BOZINOVIC FRANCISCO
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/een.12287
Subject(s) - biology , invasive species , fecundity , introduced species , biodiversity , ecology , harmonia axyridis , alien species , coccinellidae , zoology , predator , predation , population , demography , sociology
1. Global warming and biological invasions are important threats to biodiversity. Nonetheless, there is little information on how these factors influence performance or life‐history traits of invasive and native species. 2. The effects of temperature on physiological and fitness traits of two invasive alien species ( H armonia axyridis and H ippodamia variegata ) and one native species ( E riopis chilensis ) of coccinellid were evaluated, testing a model of eurythermality. Eggs of all species were exposed to four temperature treatments (20, 24, 30 and 33 ° C ). In adult F 2 we measured fecundity, locomotor performance, development time (total and per life stage), survival, and preferred body temperature in a thermal gradient. 3. It was found that H. axyridis had comparatively better performance at low temperatures (i.e. 20 ° C ), while the performance of H. variegata and E. chilensis did not change with temperature or was better at higher temperatures (30 ° C ). The standardised L evins index showed that all species are eurythermic. E. chilensis had a high niche overlap with the invasive alien ladybird species, rejecting the hypothesis of greater eurythermality of invasive species than native species. 4. Although there were differences in the temperature preferences and in the response of some physiological and life‐history traits of ladybirds to temperature, both the native and invasive alien species are eurythermic, contrary to the prediction. The better performance of H. axyridis at lower temperatures may result in displacement of its current distribution, and thus not all invasive species will respond favourably to global warming.