Life cycles of some insects adapt well to a changing climate: Others, not so much

Some biologists speculate that animals will get smaller with global warming to reduce heat stress. While this may be true of warm-blooded animals, what about exotherms like insects? Thanks to a 65-year-old grasshopper collection, scientists have documented that some species — those overwintering as juveniles — got larger over the years, helped by an earlier green spring. Grasshoppers with other lifestyles got smaller. Much of this can be predicted given what biologists know of insect life cycles. …read more