Climate change across the air-water interface affects giant salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) emergence timing and adult lifespan
Data files
May 20, 2026 version files 36.09 KB
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README.md
2.91 KB
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salmonfly_waterairtemp_dryad.csv
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Abstract
Aquatic insects experience complex temperature regimes, including during the vulnerable transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments as they emerge as adults. However, rising temperatures in montane environments across the globe are causing a novel thermal regime. Earlier snow-melt has not yet changed the narrow range of cold spring water temperatures, but both water and air temperatures have been rising in the summer. In southwestern Montana, USA, spring water temperature cues large, synchronous emergence of giant salmonflies (Pteronarcys californica) in early summer, but it is unknown how variable and warmer temperatures that occur after the springtime cue will affect life-history traits. We experimentally tested how changing temperatures during the 6 weeks before and after emergence influenced emergence timing, emergence success, and adult lifespan.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.pg4f4qs4z
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset contains the results of an experiment conducted in the laboratory to assess responses of giant salmonfly insects (Pteronarcys californica) to warming water and air temperatures. We experimentally tested how changing temperatures during the 6 weeks before and after salmonfly emergence from water to land influenced emergence timing, emergence success, and adult lifespan. Nominal temperatures in the exerpiment were 12, 14, 17 and 19C for water. For salmonfly individuals that successfully emerged onto land, air temperature exposures were then 13, 17, 21, and 23C.
Files and variables
File: salmonfly_waterairtemp_dryad.csv
Description: Data used to evaluate patterns of survival, emergence success, and adult lifespan of giant salmonflies from a laboratory experiment.
Variables
- X: row number
- bugID: individual salmonfly identifier
- lengthmm: length of that individual larva in millimeters
- sex: two options: M (male) or F (female)
- status: 3 options for the outcome during emergence: emerged (success), failed (during emergence), dead (prior to emergence)
- jdate: julian date (day of year) of emergence
- daysinlab: number of days held in the lab given when it died or emerged
- watertemp: measured water temperature in assigned treatment during the experiment in degrees celcius
- airtemp: measured air temperature in assigned treatment during the experiment in degrees celcius
- population: two options: Varney or Hebgen
- adultdied: if successfully emerged, julian date when the adult died
- MeanMay: temperature at the population source location from May 2022
- xfailed: two options: emerged (success) or failed (includes dead prior to emergence and failure and death during emergence)
- success: two options: 0 (failure) or 1 (success)
- mindays: first attempted emergence day in its treatment group, used to inform "ndays" and an emergence order variable
- maxdays: last attempted emergence in its treatment group, used to inform "ndays" and an emergence order variable
- ndays: "daysinlab" minus "mindays", which we call emergence order and is the number of days between an individual’s emergence and the first attempted emergence in its treatment group
- popsuccess: merged "population" source and "xfailed"
- site: two options: Warmer site (Varney) and Cooler site (Hebgen); a description of population source by water temperature at each site where salmonflies were collected
- watertemp_nominal: nominal water temperature goal in degrees celcius
- airtemp_nominal: nominal air temperature goal in degrees celcius
- date: calendar date when "status" was documented