Conserving Energy to Optimize Fecundity in a Derived Host Race of the Goldenrod Gall Fly: Do Warm Winters Limit Distribution?

节约能量以优化黄锦菊瘿蝇衍生寄主种的繁殖力：暖冬是否限制了其分布？虽然人们对限制昆虫地理分布的因素知之甚少，但气候无疑是非常重要的。研究人员将研究黄花瘿蝇，以研究气候对昆虫地理分布范围的影响。这种苍蝇在夏天进食，以积累脂肪，支持苍蝇度过冬天，以及在春天成虫的羽化和繁殖。在温暖的冬季，苍蝇在整个冬季消耗更多的能量，因此在春季存活率较低，产卵量较少。研究人员将建立一个模型，将冬季温度与能源使用联系起来，并最终确定瘿蝇的南部地理界限。该模型将用于预测气候变化时瘿蝇的北移。从今天到下个世纪，全球气候变化将影响昆虫的地理分布范围。这可能会产生严重的后果，特别是对农业来说，因为害虫可能会进入它们以前无法栖息的地区。在科学家预测昆虫的分布可能如何变化之前，他们需要了解哪些因素限制了这些分布。研究人员正在测试一个基于冬季能源使用的模型，该模型将帮助我们预测昆虫分布随着气候变化的地理变化。

Warren Abrahamson DEB-0343633 AbstractConserving Energy to Optimize Fecundity in a Derived Host Raceof the Goldenrod Gall Fly: Do Warm Winters Limit Distribution? While the factors limiting geographic distributions of insects are poorly understood, climate is certainly of great importance. The investigators will study the goldenrod gall fly to examine the role of climate on the geographic range of insects. This fly feeds during the summer to accumulate fat that supports the fly through the winter, as well as adult emergence and reproduction in the spring. Flies experiencing warmer winters use more energy through the winter and thus have lower survival and produce fewer eggs in spring. The investigators will create a model linking winter temperatures to energy use and, ultimately, the southern geographic limit of the gall fly. The model will be applied to predict the northward shift of the gall fly as climate change occurs. Today and into the next century, global climate change will influence the geographic range of insects. This could have serious consequences, especially for agriculture, as pest insects may move into areas they previously could not inhabit. Before scientists can predict how insect distributions might shift, they need to understand which factors limit these distributions. The investigators are testing a model based on winter energy use, which will assist us in predicting the geographic shifts in insect distributions as climates shift.