Chrysomela aeneicollis (Sierra Willow Leaf beetle)
Credit: Nathan Rank
about the species
Chrysomela aeneicollis, the Sierra willow leaf beetle, occurs in fragmented and threatened riparian habitats in California, with a range extending across Western North America, from California and Colorado to Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon. Populations in the Sierra Nevada mountains fluctuate greatly with annual and decadal changes in climate, with droughts driving population declines at the southern edge of the species range.
why species was selected
Chrysomela aeneicollis provides an ideal study organism for understanding how climate change causes population declines and range contractions in montane ecosystems. The beetle is endemic to California, and the sampling range includes a long-term study site with over 30 years of long-term microclimate and population abundance data, as well as extensive ecological and physiological information showing that populations are locally adapted to their climatic conditions.
