In a study published in Nature Communications, McGill University professor Jennifer Sunday and her
The researchers found that a species' thermal tolerance is primarily related to the climate of its habitat.
“It makes sense that temperature limits are mostlycorrespond to the current climate of a species, but tracking the evolutionary history of temperature limits can show how the species ended up where they are today, ”emphasizes Sunday, associate professor in the Department of Biology.
The researchers also found that cold tolerance evolved much faster in species than heat tolerance, especially in endotherms compared to ectotherms and plants.
Endothermic animals are animals thatgenerate metabolic heat to regulate their own body temperature, such as mammals and birds. Exothermic animals, in turn, regulate body temperature using external heat sources. These species include reptiles, fish, and invertebrates.
One of the reasons for this discrepancy isthe fact that resistance to heat has reached an evolutionary barrier - an attractor. Outside of it, evolution is limited. This suggests that the vast majority of species will not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive the unprecedented pace of current climate change.
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