Comparison of minimum winter temperatures
There was a highly significant difference in the mean of the minimum
winter temperatures observed during sample period between the two
transects (t = -20.849, P < 0.001). For the Massachusetts
transect, there was also a highly significant difference across the
transect (t = 12.02, P < 0.001) with traps located in western
Massachusetts having mean minimum winter temperatures near -24°C and
those in eastern Massachusetts having mean minimum winter temperatures
near -20°C (Figure 9). The sharp increase in temperatures in the eastern
third of the Massachusetts transect (Figure 9) is associated with a
sharp decline in landscape elevation between 75 to 100 km from T00. In
contrast, there were no significant differences observed across the
Connecticut transect (t = -0.773, P > 0.05), with traps
located across the transect having minimum winter temperatures at or
around -17 to -16°C, and all traps on this transect located at or near
sea level.