Low heat tolerance and high desiccation resistance in nocturnal bees and the implications for nocturnal pollination under climate change

Abstract

Predicting insect responses to climate change is essential for preserving ecosystem services and biodiversity. Due to high daytime temperatures and low humidity levels, nocturnal insects are expected to have lower heat and desiccation tolerance compared to diurnal species. We estimated the lower (CTMin) and upper (CTMax) thermal limits of Megalopta, a group of neotropical, forest-dwelling bees. We calculated warming tolerance (WT) as a metric to assess vulnerability to global warming and measured survival rates during simulated heatwaves and desiccation stress events. We also assessed the impact of body size and reproductive status (ovary area) on bees’ thermal limits. Megalopta displayed lower CTMin, CTMax, and WTs than diurnal bees (stingless bees, orchid bees, and carpenter bees), but exhibited similar mortality during simulated heatwave and higher desiccation tolerance. CTMin increased with increasing body size across all bees but decreased with increasing body size and ovary area in Megalopta, suggesting a reproductive cost or differences in thermal environments. CTMax did not increase with increasing body size or ovary area. These results indicate a greater sensitivity of Megalopta to temperature than humidity and reinforce the idea that nocturnal insects are thermally constrained, which might threaten pollination services in nocturnal contexts during global warming.