Data from: Successful despite poor flight performance: range expansion is associated with enhanced exploratory behaviour and fast development

Anthropogenic interference forces species to respond to changing environmental conditions. One possible response is dispersal and concomitant range shifts, allowing individuals to escape unfavourable conditions or to track the shifting climate niche. Range expansions depend on both dispersal capacity and the ability to establish populations beyond the former range. We here compare well-established core populations with recently established edge populations in the currently northward expanding butterfly Lycaena tityrus. Edge populations were characterized by shorter development times and smaller size, a higher sensitivity to high temperature, and an enhanced exploratory behaviour. The differences between core and edge populations found suggest adaptation to local climates and an enhanced dispersal ability in edge populations. In particular, enhanced exploratory behaviour may be advantageous in all steps of the dispersal process and may have facilitated the current range expansion. This study describes differences associated with a current range expansion, knowledge which might be useful for a better understanding of species responses to environmental change. We further report on variation between males and females in morphology and flight behaviour, with males showing a longer flight endurance and more pronounced exploratory behaviour than females.

人为干扰迫使物种应对不断变化的环境条件。其中一种可行响应为扩散及伴随的分布范围位移，使个体得以逃离不适环境，或是追踪动态变化的气候生态位。分布范围扩张同时依赖扩散能力与在原分布范围外建立种群的能力。本研究以当前正向北扩张的蝴蝶物种铜灰蝶（Lycaena tityrus）为研究对象，对比其已稳定建立的核心种群与新近建立的边缘种群。边缘种群的特征为发育时长更短、个体体型更小，对高温的敏感性更高，且探索行为更强。本研究观测到的核心与边缘种群间的差异，表明边缘种群已适应当地气候，且扩散能力得到提升。具体而言，增强的探索行为在扩散过程的各个环节均具有优势，或推动了本次的分布范围扩张。本研究阐明了与当前分布范围扩张相关的种群差异，相关研究结果有助于更深入理解物种对环境变化的响应机制。此外，本研究还报道了雌雄个体在形态与飞行行为上的差异：雄性个体的飞行耐力更强，探索行为也较雌性更为显著。