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Student Regular 10-Minute Presentation

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Student

Student Regular 10-min: SysEB, General

Shining a light on ant thermoregulation: Near-infrared reflectivity across latitudes

Sunday, November 9, 2025
3:42 PM - 3:54 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, B116, OCC
Oral Presentation
Many ants are active on sun-exposed surfaces and have to be active in these environments to forage for food and maintain their colonies, making them susceptible to solar heat, much of which is delivered by near-infrared radiation. Behavioral adaptations and physiological traits play a role in managing the heat in their surrounding environments; however our understanding of how ants cope with thermal challenges across different environments remains incomplete. One potential mechanism is near-infrared (NIR) reflectivity, which possibly allows ants to reflect incoming solar radiation that falls within the NIR range. We hypothesize that ant species from warmer environments will have higher percentages of NIR reflectivity. To test this hypothesis, we compare three species distributed across a latitudinal gradient using infrared photography and image analysis to assess differences in their reflectivity. We demonstrate that interspecific, as well as intraspecific variation, is consistent with their thermal niches. These findings indicate that NIR reflectivity is a key component of thermoregulation and indicate a need to further explore the role of this mechanism in insect adaptation to their thermal environment.