Introduced mason bee species have comparable thermal tolerances to a native species

Monday, November 14, 2022

11:30 AM – 11:42 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 220

Presenting Author(s)

GG

Grace Gutierrez

Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania

Co-Author(s)

Laura Jones

Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
TR

T'ai Roulston

University of Virginia
Boyce, Virginia
Margarita López-Uribe (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania

Critical thermal limits are defined as the species’ minimum and maximum temperature at which they can retain motor and neurological function. Given that temperature is a key determinant of a species’ ecological niche, critical thermal limits are utilized to help determine a species’ distribution and potential future shifts in their native ranges. It has been hypothesized that one of the key biological traits that allow invasive species to occupy large geographical areas is broad thermal tolerance compared to native species with similar ecological niches. To test this hypothesis, we examined the differences in critical thermal limits between two non-native mason bee species—Osmia taurus and Osmia cornifrons–to Osmia lignaria, a native mason bee species. However, we found no significant difference between the critical thermal limits of these three species. Additionally, each individual’s critical thermal limit was not impacted by sex or age. This lack of difference in thermal tolerance between non-native and native species furthers our understanding of the thermal physiology of these species, and provides key information that facilitate predictions of future geographic ranges of these non-native species in North America.