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Comparing thermal performance curves across traits : how consistent are they?

Kellermann, Vanessa ; Chown, Steven L. ; Schou, Mads Fristrup LU ; Aitkenhead, Ian ; Janion-Scheepers, Charlene ; Clemson, Allannah ; Scott, Marina Telonis and Sgrò, Carla M. (2019) In The Journal of experimental biology 222(11).
Abstract

Thermal performance curves (TPCs) are intended to approximate the relationship between temperature and fitness, and are commonly integrated into species distributional models for understanding climate change responses. However, TPCs may vary across traits because selection and environmental sensitivity (plasticity) differ across traits or because the timing and duration of the temperature exposure, here termed time scale, may alter trait variation. Yet, the extent to which TPCs vary temporally and across traits is rarely considered in assessments of climate change responses. Using a common garden approach, we estimated TPCs for standard metabolic rate (SMR), and activity in Drosophila melanogaster at three test temperatures (16, 25 and... (More)

Thermal performance curves (TPCs) are intended to approximate the relationship between temperature and fitness, and are commonly integrated into species distributional models for understanding climate change responses. However, TPCs may vary across traits because selection and environmental sensitivity (plasticity) differ across traits or because the timing and duration of the temperature exposure, here termed time scale, may alter trait variation. Yet, the extent to which TPCs vary temporally and across traits is rarely considered in assessments of climate change responses. Using a common garden approach, we estimated TPCs for standard metabolic rate (SMR), and activity in Drosophila melanogaster at three test temperatures (16, 25 and 30°C), using flies from each of six developmental temperatures (16, 18, 20, 25, 28 and 30°C). We examined the effects of time scale of temperature exposure (minutes/hours versus days/weeks) in altering TPC shape and position, and commonly used descriptors of the TPC: thermal optimum (Topt), thermal limits (Tmin and Tmax) and thermal breadth (Tbr). In addition, we collated previously published estimates of TPCs for fecundity and egg-to-adult viability in D. melanogaster We found that the descriptors of the TPCs varied across traits (egg-to-adult viability, SMR, activity and fecundity), but variation in TPCs within these traits was small across studies when measured at the same time scales. The time scale at which traits were measured contributed to greater variation in TPCs than the observed variance across traits, although the relative importance of time scale differed depending on the trait (activity versus fecundity). Variation in the TPC across traits and time scales suggests that TPCs using single traits may not be an accurate predictor of fitness and thermal adaptation across environments.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Activity, Egg-to-adult viability, Fecundity, Metabolic rate, Plasticity, Topt
in
The Journal of experimental biology
volume
222
issue
11
article number
jeb193433
publisher
The Company of Biologists Ltd
external identifiers
  • pmid:31085593
  • scopus:85067377088
ISSN
1477-9145
DOI
10.1242/jeb.193433
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
339f8b86-752e-42f8-aa35-a53911c07de0
date added to LUP
2019-06-28 10:14:36
date last changed
2024-04-02 09:10:26
@article{339f8b86-752e-42f8-aa35-a53911c07de0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Thermal performance curves (TPCs) are intended to approximate the relationship between temperature and fitness, and are commonly integrated into species distributional models for understanding climate change responses. However, TPCs may vary across traits because selection and environmental sensitivity (plasticity) differ across traits or because the timing and duration of the temperature exposure, here termed time scale, may alter trait variation. Yet, the extent to which TPCs vary temporally and across traits is rarely considered in assessments of climate change responses. Using a common garden approach, we estimated TPCs for standard metabolic rate (SMR), and activity in Drosophila melanogaster at three test temperatures (16, 25 and 30°C), using flies from each of six developmental temperatures (16, 18, 20, 25, 28 and 30°C). We examined the effects of time scale of temperature exposure (minutes/hours versus days/weeks) in altering TPC shape and position, and commonly used descriptors of the TPC: thermal optimum (Topt), thermal limits (Tmin and Tmax) and thermal breadth (Tbr). In addition, we collated previously published estimates of TPCs for fecundity and egg-to-adult viability in D. melanogaster We found that the descriptors of the TPCs varied across traits (egg-to-adult viability, SMR, activity and fecundity), but variation in TPCs within these traits was small across studies when measured at the same time scales. The time scale at which traits were measured contributed to greater variation in TPCs than the observed variance across traits, although the relative importance of time scale differed depending on the trait (activity versus fecundity). Variation in the TPC across traits and time scales suggests that TPCs using single traits may not be an accurate predictor of fitness and thermal adaptation across environments.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kellermann, Vanessa and Chown, Steven L. and Schou, Mads Fristrup and Aitkenhead, Ian and Janion-Scheepers, Charlene and Clemson, Allannah and Scott, Marina Telonis and Sgrò, Carla M.}},
  issn         = {{1477-9145}},
  keywords     = {{Activity; Egg-to-adult viability; Fecundity; Metabolic rate; Plasticity; Topt}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{11}},
  publisher    = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
  series       = {{The Journal of experimental biology}},
  title        = {{Comparing thermal performance curves across traits : how consistent are they?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.193433}},
  doi          = {{10.1242/jeb.193433}},
  volume       = {{222}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}