New paper led by former Williams Lab graduate student, Dr. Kevin Roberts, is published now in Global Change Biology!

Former PhD student, Dr. Kevin Roberts, led a research study “Snow modulates winter energy use and cold exposure across an elevation gradient in a montane ectotherm,” which is now published in Global Change Biology.

The authors developed ecophysiological models of cold and energy stress for the montane leaf beetle, Chrysomela aeneicollis, providing critical insight into the impacts of climate change. As drier winters and declining snowpack become more common, mid-elevation beetles will be predominantly affected, and high elevations may provide refugia for these overwintering beetles.

Projected total winter energy use of overwintering Chrysomela aeneicollis, along an elevation gradient in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Image shows the total winter energy expenditure (J) across elevation for the three snowiest (red) and driest (blue) years from 2009 to 2019, predicted by the energy use model.