There is evidence that climate change may worsen the ecological conditions needed by many pollinator species for their survival; however, little is known about how the rise in ambient temperature might affect the survival of large bee species in tropical regions of the planet. This study investigated the thermoregulation mechanisms of the large carpenter bee Xylocopa frontalis when nesting spontaneously in nests designed to allow direct measurement of the bees’ temperature while carrying out different activities. It was seen that the species divides its activities throughout the day according to the amount of body heat generated and the ambient temperature, performing activities that generate more body heat at cooler times of the day. The bees also use strategies of thermoregulation, such as heat loss by air convection, evaporative cooling by nectar dehydration, and not foraging during the hottest times of the day to avoid overheating. The study shows that X. frontalis is well adjusted to the ecological conditions of the areas in which it lives but suggests that future rises in the ambient temperature could pose a serious threat to the survival and pollination services provided by this bee and other similar tropical species.

中文翻译：

---

新热带气候变化下大型木蜂Xylocopa frontalis的体温调节

有证据表明，气候变化可能会使许多传粉媒介物种生存所需的生态条件恶化；然而，人们对环境温度升高可能如何影响地球热带地区大型蜜蜂物种的生存知之甚少。这项研究调查了大型木蜂 Xylocopa frontalis 在自发筑巢时的体温调节机制，该巢旨在允许在进行不同活动时直接测量蜜蜂的温度。可以看出，该物种根据产生的体温和环境温度在一天中分配活动，在一天中较冷的时间进行产生更多体温的活动。蜜蜂还使用温度调节策略，例如空气对流散热，通过花蜜脱水蒸发冷却，并且不在一天中最热的时候觅食以避免过热。研究表明，X. frontalis 能很好地适应其生活地区的生态条件，但表明未来环境温度的升高可能对这种蜜蜂和其他类似热带物种提供的生存和授粉服务构成严重威胁.