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Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates

Incoming solar radiation (wavelengths 290–2500 nm) significantly affects an organism’s thermal balance via radiative heat gain. Species adapted to different environments can differ in solar reflectance profiles. We hypothesized that conspecific individuals using thermally distinct microhabitats to e...

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Autores principales: Barrett, Meghan, O’Donnell, Sean
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10013911/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36917573
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271250
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author Barrett, Meghan
O’Donnell, Sean
author_facet Barrett, Meghan
O’Donnell, Sean
author_sort Barrett, Meghan
collection PubMed
description Incoming solar radiation (wavelengths 290–2500 nm) significantly affects an organism’s thermal balance via radiative heat gain. Species adapted to different environments can differ in solar reflectance profiles. We hypothesized that conspecific individuals using thermally distinct microhabitats to engage in fitness-relevant behaviors would show intraspecific differences in reflectance: we predicted individuals that use hot microclimates (where radiative heat gain represents a greater thermoregulatory challenge) would be more reflective across the entire solar spectrum than those using cooler microclimates. Differences in near-infrared (NIR) reflectance (700–2500 nm) are strongly indicative of thermoregulatory adaptation as, unlike differences in visible reflectance (400–700 nm), they are not perceived by ecological or social partners. We tested these predictions in male Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Apidae) bees from the Sonoran Desert. Male C. pallida use alternative reproductive tactics that are associated with distinct microclimates: Large-morph males, with paler visible coloration, behave in an extremely hot microclimate close to the ground, while small-morph males, with a dark brown dorsal coloration, frequently use cooler microclimates above the ground near vegetation. We found that large-morph males had higher reflectance of solar radiation (UV through NIR) resulting in lower solar absorption coefficients. This thermoregulatory adaptation was specific to the dorsal surface, and produced by differences in hair, not cuticle, characteristics. Our results showed that intraspecific variation in behavior, particular in relation to microclimate use, can generate unique thermal adaptations that changes the reflectance of shortwave radiation among individuals within the same population.
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spelling pubmed-100139112023-03-15 Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates Barrett, Meghan O’Donnell, Sean PLoS One Research Article Incoming solar radiation (wavelengths 290–2500 nm) significantly affects an organism’s thermal balance via radiative heat gain. Species adapted to different environments can differ in solar reflectance profiles. We hypothesized that conspecific individuals using thermally distinct microhabitats to engage in fitness-relevant behaviors would show intraspecific differences in reflectance: we predicted individuals that use hot microclimates (where radiative heat gain represents a greater thermoregulatory challenge) would be more reflective across the entire solar spectrum than those using cooler microclimates. Differences in near-infrared (NIR) reflectance (700–2500 nm) are strongly indicative of thermoregulatory adaptation as, unlike differences in visible reflectance (400–700 nm), they are not perceived by ecological or social partners. We tested these predictions in male Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Apidae) bees from the Sonoran Desert. Male C. pallida use alternative reproductive tactics that are associated with distinct microclimates: Large-morph males, with paler visible coloration, behave in an extremely hot microclimate close to the ground, while small-morph males, with a dark brown dorsal coloration, frequently use cooler microclimates above the ground near vegetation. We found that large-morph males had higher reflectance of solar radiation (UV through NIR) resulting in lower solar absorption coefficients. This thermoregulatory adaptation was specific to the dorsal surface, and produced by differences in hair, not cuticle, characteristics. Our results showed that intraspecific variation in behavior, particular in relation to microclimate use, can generate unique thermal adaptations that changes the reflectance of shortwave radiation among individuals within the same population. Public Library of Science 2023-03-14 /pmc/articles/PMC10013911/ /pubmed/36917573 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271250 Text en © 2023 Barrett, O’Donnell https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Barrett, Meghan
O’Donnell, Sean
Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title_full Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title_fullStr Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title_full_unstemmed Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title_short Individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (Centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
title_sort individual reflectance of solar radiation confers a thermoregulatory benefit to dimorphic males bees (centris pallida) using distinct microclimates
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10013911/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36917573
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271250
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