Data from: Parallel trait adaptation across opposing thermal environments in experimental Drosophila melanogaster populations

Tobler, Ray1; Hermisson, Joachim2; Schlötterer, Christian 1

Published Jun 11, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r8mb0

Data files

Jun 11, 2025 version files 327.80 KB

DRYAD_Evolution_ms_data.zip

319.44 KB
README.md

8.36 KB

Abstract

Thermal stress is a pervasive selective agent in natural populations that impacts organismal growth, survival, and reproduction. Drosophila melanogaster exhibits a variety of putatively adaptive phenotypic responses to thermal stress in natural and experimental settings; however, accompanying assessments of fitness are typically lacking. Here, we quantify changes in fitness and known thermal tolerance traits in replicated experimental D. melanogaster populations following more than 40 generations of evolution to either cyclic cold or hot temperatures. By evaluating fitness for both evolved populations alongside a reconstituted starting population, we show that the evolved populations were the best adapted within their respective thermal environments. More strikingly, the evolved populations exhibited increased fitness in both environments and improved resistance to both acute heat and cold stress. This unexpected parallel response appeared to be an adaptation to the rapid temperature changes that drove the cycling thermal regimes, as parallel fitness changes were not observed when tested in a constant thermal environment. Our results add to a small but growing group of studies that demonstrate the importance of fluctuating temperature changes for thermal adaptation and highlight the need for additional work in this area.

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.rn8pk0pp5

Description of the data and file structure

This dataset contains data from phenotypic assays conducted in Drosophila melanogaster experimental evolution populations. A Drosophila melanogaster natural population had been exposed to two opposing thermal environments with daily cycling between either 28/18°C (hot) or 20/10°C (cold) and evolved in the laboratory for more than 40 generations. Data for several traits (fitness, thermal stress resistance, body size, and developmental time) were collected from both evolved populations in parallel to a reconstituted starting population. The assays were conducted at two different evolutionary timepoints in shared common garden environments.

Files and variables

File: DRYAD_Evolution_ms_data.zip

Description: The compressed archive DRYAD_Evolution_ms_data.zip contains the following data files:

Dmel_PO_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_fitness.txt

Raw data for the fitness phenotype: Counts of wild type (hot F75, cold F43, and reconstituted base population) and white-eyed progeny from the fitness assay after two generations in the fluctuating 18–28°C and 10–20°C and the constant 23°C common garden environments. This dataset includes combined female and male counts from days 5, 10, and 15, for two sub replicates within each of five replicates. This dataset was used as input for the R script fitness_plots_Dmel_Hot74Cold43_NEW.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot59_Cold34_coldshock.txt

Raw data for the cold shock phenotype: Counts of individuals from the hot-evolved F59, cold-evolved F34, and reconstituted base population that recovered from cold shock within a 60-minute interval. This dataset includes separate female and male counts, recorded per minute for each of eight assayed vials/Petri dishes across five replicates in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. It was used as input for the R script Thermalshocks_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot59_Cold34_development.txt

Raw data for the developmental time phenotype: Counts of pupae in the hot-evolved F59, cold-evolved F34, and reconstituted base populations, assayed in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. The number of newly emerged pupae was recorded daily across five replicates, with four bottles (sub replicates) per replicate. The dataset was used as input for the R script Development_time_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot59_Cold34_heatshock.txt

Raw data for the heat shock phenotype: Counts of individuals from the hot-evolved F59, cold-evolved F34, and reconstituted base population knocked down from heat shock within a 60-minute interval. This dataset includes separate female and male counts across five replicates in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments, recorded per minute in each of eight assayed 200 mL plastic tubes. It was used as input for the R script Thermalshocks_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot59_Cold34_leglength.txt

Raw data for the body size phenotype (leg length): Tibia length (measured as distance between tarsus and femur, in mm) for five replicates of the hot-evolved F59, cold-evolved F34, and reconstituted base population in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. Females and males were measured separately, with 30 individuals each per replicate. This dataset was used as input for the R script Morphology_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot59_Cold34_wingarea.txt

Raw data for the body size phenotype (wing area): Wing area (in mm2) for five replicates of the hot-evolved F59, cold-evolved F34, and reconstituted base population in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. Females and males were measured separately, with 30 individuals each per replicate. This dataset was used as input for the R script Morphology_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_coldshock.txt

Raw data for the cold shock phenotype: Counts of individuals from the hot-evolved F75, cold-evolved F43, and reconstituted base population that recovered from cold shock within a 60-minute interval. This dataset includes separate female and male counts, recorded per minute for each of eight assayed vials/Petri dishes across five replicates in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. It was used as input for the R script Thermalshocks_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_development.txt

Raw data for the developmental time phenotype: Counts of pupae in the hot-evolved F75, cold-evolved F43, and reconstituted base populations, assayed in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. The number of newly emerged pupae was recorded daily across five replicates, with four bottles (sub replicates) per replicate. The dataset was used as input for the R script Development_time_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_heatshock.txt

Raw data for the heat shock phenotype: Counts of individuals from the hot-evolved F75, cold-evolved F43, and reconstituted base population knocked down from heat shock within a 60-minute interval. This dataset includes separate female and male counts across five replicates in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments, recorded per minute in each of eight assayed 200 mL plastic tubes. It was used as input for the R script Thermalshocks_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_leglength.txt

Raw data for the body size phenotype (leg length): Tibia length (measured as distance between tarsus and femur, in mm) for five replicates of the hot-evolved F75, cold-evolved F43, and reconstituted base population in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. Females and males were measured separately, with 30 individuals each per replicate. This dataset was used as input for the R script Morphology_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Dmel_parallel_Hot75_Cold43_wingarea.txt

Raw data for the body size phenotype (wing area): Wing area (in mm2) for five replicates of the hot-evolved F75, cold-evolved F43, and reconstituted base population in the constant 23°C and the constant 15°C common garden environments. Females and males were measured separately, with 30 individuals each per replicate. This dataset was used as input for the R script Morphology_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

Missing values in all datasets are indicated by "NA."

Code/software

The compressed archive DRYAD_Evolution_ms_data.zip contains the following data files:

Development_time_Dmel_parallel.r

R script to analyze the developmental time data using a generalized mixed model as described in the Material and Methods. The output includes tables of statistical tests and plots.

Morphology_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

R script to analyze the morphological data (tibia length and wing area) using a generalized mixed model as described in the Material and Methods. The output includes tables of statistical tests and plots.

Thermalshocks_plots_stats_Dmel_parallel.r

R script to analyze the thermal stress resistance data (heat and cold stress) using a generalized mixed model as described in the Material and Methods. The output includes tables of statistical tests and plots.

fitness_plots_Dmel_Hot74Cold43_NEW.r

R script to analyze the fitness data using a generalized mixed model as described in the Material and Methods. The output includes tables of statistical tests and plots.

The software required to run the above R scripts is described in the associated manuscript:
"All analyses were performed using R (version 3.0.1; R Core Team 2013). The GLMMs used the lme4 package (version 1.0‐4; Bates et al. 2013) with subsequent significance testing performed via the ANOVA function from the car package (version 2.0‐19; Fox and Weisberg 2011). Parameters were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood (i.e., the “REML” option). Contrasts used the phia package (version 0.1‐5; De Rosario‐Martinez 2013), with the “Holm” method (Holm 1979) being used to correct for multiple testing."