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Temperature determines where species can live and if they are threatened by a warming climate. So, for a long time, biologists studied how heat tolerance affects survival. Yet, less is known about how thermal traits influence reproduction, which is directly linked to extinction risk.

Now, researchers in the US have examined if males of dragonfly species that produce sexual signals in the form of dark coloration on their wings are more resistant to heat. They published their results in Frontiers in Ethology.

"We show that dragonfly species that have evolved dark breeding coloration on their wings have also evolved the ability to tolerate high temperatures," said Dr. Noah Leith, a biologist at the University of Pittsburgh. "This finding paves the way for a whole new field of research exploring interactions between thermal traits and sexual signals."

Dark spots, hot dragonflies

In dragonflies—same as in many animals—sexual signals can help them effectively locate mates, identify the correct species to mate with, and decide when to back out of mating contests.

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