Predictable local adaptation in butterfly photoperiodism but not thermal performance along a latitudinal cline

Abstract

In seasonal environments, organisms must synchronize their life cycles to conditions favorable for growth and reproduction. Because season length varies geographically, local adaptation should arise in traits that regulate phenological responses. Geographic photoperiodism clines are well known, but comparable studies on thermal performance are equivocal and often overlook nonlinear responses. Therefore, we examined local adaptation in plastic responses to both photoperiod and temperature along a 752-km latitudinal cline, by comparing four Swedish populations of the butterfly Pieris napi. Using a common garden design, we estimated (1) photoperiod response curves for diapause induction and (2) thermal performance curves for development and growth rates. We show that differences in photoperiodism follow the expected geographical pattern, where diapause is induced at longer daylengths in northern populations (where growth seasons are short and summer days long). However, population differences in thermal performance curves were small and seemingly idiosyncratic, without clear clinal patterns. Photoperiodic responses appear to evolve more readily than thermal responses, highlighting photoperiodism as a key driver of local life cycle synchronization.