A new study by biologists at Mercyhurst University focuses
on the influence of climate change, particularly warmer winters, on the
survival and potential fecundity of cold-blooded animals.
Cold blooded animals, or ectotherms, do not have an internal
mechanism for regulating body temperature. Instead, they rely on solar energy
captured by the environment.
The purpose of the Mercyhurst study, a collaboration of
Michael Elnitsky, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology; and students Drew
Spacht and Seth Pezar, is to assess the current and future impacts of climate
change on the overwintering energetics and microenvironmental conditions of the
goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis). Larvae of the goldenrod gall fly have
long served as model organisms for studying the strategies used by
freeze-tolerant animals for winter survival.