Thermal tolerance patterns of a carabid beetle sampled along invasion and altitudinal gradients at a sub-Antarctic island

Highlights • Insects sampled along the invasion gradient were not characterized by an increased thermal tolerance. • Significant differences in the ability to recover from thermal stress were found among populations. • Cold tolerance was not always the highest in organisms sampled at higher altitude. • Insects with relatively high cold tolerance were often relatively sensitive to heat exposure and vice versa. • Insects could recover from short exposure to −5 °C and 35 °C, but few could recover from short exposure to −8 °C or 38 °C.

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