GEE Seminar - Prof. Emily Baird, Stockholm University

Academic Host: Seirian Sumner
Abstract: In the temperate regions of northern Europe, Asia and America, bumblebees and butterflies are two of the most essential taxa for pollination. Their great success is largely due to their ability to develop and forage in temperatures colder than those typically required for ectotherm species. However, studies have shown that pollinator populations in temperate climates are decreasing at an alarming rate and one of the factors that is likely responsible for these declines is the rapidly increasing environmental temperature associated with climate change. Exactly how increasing temperatures could contribute to the vulnerability of insect pollinators and how this affects the development and function of the sensory and neural structures and behaviour necessary for foraging remains unclear. In this talk, I will present recent work that my lab has been doing to address this knowledge gap in bumblebees and butterflies.