Resumen
Historically, the study of microclimate and habitat utilization have been largely observational, with climatic and behavioral variables being extrapolated from a few or even individual measurement sites. Today, densely deployed sensor networks are being scaled to the size of the organisms under study, sampling phenomena at frequencies the organisms encounter, and dispersed in patterns that capture the full range of environmental exposures to provide the fine-grain information needed for accurate modeling and prediction. Few themes permeate basic and applied ecological research to such an extent as the relationship of microclimate and ecological patterns, processes, physiology, and biological diversity. Microclimate can be defined as the climate close to surfaces, upon and beneath soils, under snow, in water, on living things, or even on individual animals. Organisms do not experience the average climate but a specific microclimate on a scale proportional to their size. The ecologist who relies on extrapolations from a few measurements at sites removed from the actual location of the study species risks failing to accurately measure the degree of microenvironmental variance that organisms experience.