Data from: Contrasting effects of climate warming on hosts and parasitoids: Insights from Rocky Mountain aspen leaf miners and their parasitoids
Data files
Feb 25, 2025 version files 79.19 KB
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Emergence.csv
35.70 KB
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LT50_20C_withID.csv
2.76 KB
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LT50_Wasp_and_moth.csv
1.50 KB
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Microclimate_modeling.R
14.73 KB
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README.md
5.56 KB
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Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.R
10.48 KB
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Tpref_test.csv
8.47 KB
Abstract
Because temperature has pervasive effects on biological rates, climate warming may alter the outcomes of interactions between insect hosts and their parasitoids, which, for many host species, constitute the single largest source of mortality. Despite growing interest in parasitoid-host responses to climate change, there are few empirical tests of thermal tolerance differences between non-model lepidopteran hosts and their parasitoids and almost none from mountain ecosystems where warming is occurring more rapidly. We examined the thermal ecology of a host-parasitoid interaction in the Rocky Mountains using wild populations of the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) and a set of previously unknown eulophid parasitoids that attack them. Host and parasitoid development rates were differentially sensitive to temperature. In addition, upper thermal limits of adult parasitoids were lower than those of host caterpillars, and in choice experiments, parasitoids reared at different temperatures showed no plasticity in preferred temperatures. However, when coupled to simulations of leaf microclimates in aspen canopies, these observations suggest, contrary to expectations, that climate warming may potentially benefit parasitoids.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fqz612k3b
Description of the data and file structure
We measured the thermal tolerance traits of leaf mining caterpillars and their parasitoids. In particular, we measured the developmental rates for both types of insects as well as their LT50 (upper thermal limits). We also measured thermal preference (Tpref) for adult parasitoids that were reared at different temperatures. Finally, we integrated these experimentally determined trait data into a model to predict how the two interacting insects will respond to climate change-driven warming of leaf and air temperatures, and what differences in their responses mean for the fate of their interactions.
Files and variables
1) Physiological Trait Data
File: LT50_20C_withID.csv
Description: Contains LT50 (heat shock) data for parasitoids. To be used with code section entitled, "###LT50/Heatshock###" in Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.R file.
Variables
- inc_temp: Rearing temperature in degrees Celsius
- Insect (leaf) ID: Identifier given to each leaf from which insects emerged
- Insect type: Initially used to subset the dataset (only 1 variable in the column).
- Date of emergence (DD/MM/YY): Date insect eclosed from pupal chamber
- Date of Experiment (DD/MM/YY): Date heat shock experiment was conducted
- shock_temp: Heat shock temperature used in degrees Celsius
- take: Initially used to subset data (only 1 variable in the column)
- survive_12: Whether the insect survived the heat shock treatment after 12 hours (0 = dead, 1 = survived/alive)
- Morpho: Species/genus ID - done by looking under a microscope. 'na' = not possible to ID.
- Comments: Investigator comments or reminders. Blanks indicate that no comment was needed.
File: LT50_Wasp_and_moth.csv
Description: A pared-down dataset with heat shock temperatures and responses for wasps and moths. To be used with the code section entitled, "###LT50/Heatshock### in Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.R file.
Variables
- insect_type: Wasp or moth
- shock_temp: Temperature at which insect was heat shocked
- survive: Whether the insect survived directly after heat shock was administered
- survive_12: Whether the insect survived 12 hours after heat shock was administered
File: Emergence.csv
Description: Contains emergence timing data for parasitoids and leaf miners. To be used with "###Emergence###" code in Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.R file.
Variables
- Sr. no.: Serial number to keep track of how many insects had emerged in total
- inc_temp: Rearing temperature
- id: Unique ID given to each insect
- intro_date: Date on which leaf-containing the insect(s) was placed into the incubator
- em_date: Date of emergence
- intro_day_1: Day on which the leaf was placed in an incubator
- em_day_final: Day on which the insect emerged
- em_latency: Difference between the day of emergence and the day introduced; i.e., how long it took for emergence to occur.
- dev_rate: Development rate, the inverse of emergence latency
- binary: Type of insect (moth = 0, wasp = 1) in binary
- type: Type of insect
- exp_type: Experiment type (HS = heat shock, TP = Tpref, CTmax = CTmax (not used in this manuscript).
- comments: Comments made by the investigator, many were quick IDs made with the naked eye (no microscope)
- positive_ID: If the investigator could positively ID wasps, the entry was a "yes". Blanks are intentional for either unknown insects or moths.
- morpho: ID made under a microscope
File: Tpref_test.csv
Description: Contains thermal preference data for parasitoids. To be used with "###Tpref### code in Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.R file.
Variables
- wasp_identification: Unique ID given to each insect
- inc_temp: Rearing temperature
- experiment_type: Control - no thermal gradient provided; or Gradient = thermal gradient activated
- mark: Numeric marking on the experimental aluminum bar closest to where the insect settled after 30 minutes.
- mark_alpha: Alphabetical marking on the experimental aluminum bar closest to where the insect settled after 30 minutes. Equivalent to the numerical marking.
- temp_at_mark: Temperature at the location of the parasitoid taken with a Type-T thermocouple
- pref_measured: Point temperature measurement made at the location of each wasp after choice had been made (i.e., after 30 min). Temperature taken with a T-type thermocouple. Note: for Experiment Type "Control", there is a "na" for the "pref_measured" column because there was no thermal gradient; i.e. all locations along the aluminum bar had the same (ambient) temperature.
2) Microclimate Modeling Data
Description: The R code and libraries within are all that are required for microclimate modeling analyses conducted for this paper. There are no additional files associated with this code.
Code/software
All analyses were carried out in R (version 4.4.0) - 'R Core Team (2021) R: A language and environment for statistical computing'.
R code - Filename “Thermal_Physiology_Analyses.r” - Contains all the R code needed to generate our results for emergence, LT50 for parasitoids, and thermal preference tests for parasitoids.
R code - Filename “Microclimate_modeling.r” - Contains all the R code needed to generate our modeling results.