Extreme weather events such as heat waves are predicted to increase in the course of anthropogenic climate change. Widespread species are exposed to a variety of environmental conditions throughout their distribution range, often resulting in local adaptation. Consequently, populations from different regions may vary in their capacity to deal with challenging conditions such as thermal stress. In this study, we investigated clinal variation in body size, fecundity, and oxidative markers along a pan-European latitudinal gradient in the green-veined white butterfly Pieris napi, and additionally gene expression in German individuals. We exposed butterflies from replicated Italian, German, and Swedish populations to cold, control, or hot temperatures for 24 h. Under hot conditions, molecular chaperones were up-regulated, while oxidative damage remained unaffected and levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) were reduced under cold and hot conditions. Thus, the short-term exposure to heat stress did not substantially affect oxidative balance. Moreover, we found decreased body size and fecundity in cooler compared with warmer regions. Interestingly, oxidative damage was lowest in Swedish animals exhibiting (1) high levels of GSH, (2) low early fecundity, and (3) low larval growth rates. These results suggest that Swedish butterflies have a slower life style and invest more strongly into maintenance, while those from warmer regions show the opposite pattern, which may reflect a ‘pace-of-life’ syndrome.

预计在人为气候变化过程中，诸如热浪之类的极端天气事件会增加。广泛分布的物种在其整个分布范围内都暴露于各种环境条件下，通常会导致局部适应。因此，来自不同地区的人群应对挑战性条件（如热应激）的能力可能有所不同。在这项研究中，我们调查了绿色脉纹白色蝴蝶皮利斯·纳皮（Pieris napi）沿泛欧洲纬度梯度的体型，繁殖力和氧化标记的近缘变化。，以及德国人的基因表达。我们将来自复制的意大利，德国和瑞典种群的蝴蝶暴露在寒冷，控制或高温的环境中24小时。在高温条件下，分子伴侣被上调，而在高温和低温条件下，氧化损伤保持不受影响，抗氧化剂谷胱甘肽（GSH）的水平降低。因此，短期暴露于热应力下基本上不影响氧化平衡。此外，我们发现与较温暖的地区相比，较凉的地区体重和繁殖力下降。有趣的是，在具有（1）高GSH水平，（2）早期生殖力低和（3）幼虫生长率低的瑞典动物中，氧化损伤最低。这些结果表明瑞典蝴蝶的生活方式较慢，并且在维护方面的投入更大，