Contemporary climate change and terrestrial invertebrates: evolutionary versus plastic changes.

Area of Science:

• Ecology and evolutionary biology
• Climate change biology
• Invertebrate zoology

Background:

• Forecasting species' responses to climate change necessitates understanding their adaptive capacities.
• Terrestrial invertebrates exhibit traits influenced by temperature, including melanization, phenology, and stress resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolutionary adaptation and phenotypic plasticity of temperature-related traits in terrestrial invertebrates.
• To identify knowledge gaps and future research directions for predicting species' responses to climate change.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on evolutionary adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in terrestrial invertebrates.
• Analysis of evidence for climate-induced changes in melanization, phenological traits, and stress resistance.

Main Results:

• Good evidence exists for adaptive evolution in melanization, but genetic basis requires species-specific testing.
• Phenological traits show climate-induced changes driven by both evolutionary and plastic responses.
• Evidence for adaptive shifts in stress resistance is limited, with some studies indicating potential evolutionary limits.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to quantify plastic responses in stress resistance and extend findings to diverse taxa.
• The role of endosymbionts in heat stress response requires investigation.
• Understanding both evolutionary and plastic responses is crucial for accurate climate change impact predictions in invertebrates.