What is a species?:
Using DNA barcodes to identify species and determine insect responses to global warming
Insects that look alike might be different species - molecular taxonomy may change our view of how insects will respond to global warming.
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Tolerance to high temperatures will determine the survival of animal species under projected global warming. In this module, we will explore how this trait changes in insects living at different elevations.
DNA barcodes are short gene sequences taken from a standardized portion of the genome, and used to identify species. DNA barcodes demonstrate that insect species previously thought to have broad elevational distributions and plastic thermal tolerances actually comprise cryptic species complexes. These cryptic species occupy discrete elevational ranges, and their thermal tolerances seem to be locally adapted to temperatures in their life zones. The combination of high species endemism and local adaptation to temperature regimes may increase the extinction risk of high-elevation insects in a warming world.
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