Acclimation capacity of critical thermal maximum varies among populations: Consequences for estimates of vulnerability
Data files
Sep 20, 2023 version files 162.90 KB
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Acclimation_Experiments.csv
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AcclimationExperiments_README.md
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Buffering_Metrics_README.md
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Buffering_Metrics.csv
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datlmmmon_color_README.md
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datlmmmon_color.csv
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datlmmtruei_color_README.md
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datlmmtruei_color.csv
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emmeanpop_wide_README.md
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emmeanpop_wide.csv
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lmmbothspecies_withcolor_README.md
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lmmbothspecies_withcolor.csv
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README.md
Abstract
Adaptive plasticity in thermal tolerance traits may buffer organisms against changing temperatures, making such responses of particular interest in the face of global climate change. Although population variation is integral to the evolvability of this trait, many studies inferring proxies of physiological vulnerability from thermal tolerance traits extrapolate data from one or few populations to represent the species. Estimates of physiological vulnerability can be further complicated by methodological effects associated with experimental design. We evaluated how populations varied in their acclimation capacity (i.e., the magnitude of plasticity) for critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in two species of tailed frogs (Ascaphidae), cold-stream specialists. We used the estimates of acclimation capacity to infer physiological vulnerability to future warming. We performed CTmax experiments on tadpoles from 14 populations using a fully factorial experimental design of two holding temperatures (8℃, 15℃) and two experimental starting temperatures (8℃, 15℃). This design allowed us to investigate the acute effects of transferring organisms from one holding temperature to a different experimental starting temperature, as well as fully acclimated responses by using the same holding and starting temperature. We found that most populations exhibited beneficial acclimation, where CTmax was higher in tadpoles held at a warmer temperature, but populations varied markedly in magnitude of the response and the inferred physiological vulnerability to future warming. We also found that the response of transferring organisms to different starting temperatures varied substantially among populations, although accounting for acute effects did not greatly alter estimates of physiological vulnerability at the species-level or for most populations. These results underscore the importance of sampling widely among populations when inferring physiological vulnerability, as population variation in acclimation capacity and thermal sensitivity may be critical when assessing vulnerability to future warming.
README: Acclimation capacity of critical thermal maximum varies among populations: Consequences for estimates of vulnerability
There are six datasets associated with this study. They each have their own README files. Please see each individual file's README for more information. Note that empty cells in all data files denote missing data. Missing data are explained in the associated manuscript.
Description of the data and file structure
Six datasets:
- Acclimation_Experiments - individual level CTmax data using ramping experiments for different starting and holding temperatures
- Buffering_Metrics - population level environmental and physiological buffering data
- lmmbothspecies_withcolor - population level CTmax estimates for both species from linear mixed models with colors (used for plotting)
- datlmmmon_color - population-level data derived from the plasticity linear mixed model for Ascaphus montanus (used for plotting)
- datlmmtruei_color - population-level data derived from the plasticity linear mixed model for Ascaphus truei (used for plotting Figure 4)
- emmeanpop_wide - Population level estimates of plasticity in wide format, as estimated from species-specific models
Sharing/Access information
Correspondence: Amanda Cicchino, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA; Email: cicchino@rams.colostate.edu; ORCID: 0000-0003-0170-829X
Code/Software
Code for data analysis and figure creation for this manuscript is included as a separate [Rmd] file through Dryad.