As Earth’s climate continues to warm due to the emission of greenhouse gasses, extreme and anomalous weather events are becoming more common. But predicting and analyzing the effects of what is, by definition, an anomaly can be tricky.
Scientists say museum specimens can help. In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Florida used natural history specimens to show that unseasonably warm and cold days can prolong the active period of moths and butterflies by nearly a month.
“The results are not at all what we expected,” said lead author Robert Guralnick, curator of biodiversity informatics at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Read more at: Florida Museum of Natural History
In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Florida used natural history specimens to show that unseasonably warm and cold days can prolong the active period of moths and butterflies by nearly a month. (Illustrations by: Emile-Allain Séguy)