Data from: Ecological mechanism of climate-mediated selection in a rapidly evolving invasive species

Recurring seasonal changes can lead to the evolution of phenological cues.
For example, many arthropods undergo photoperiodic diapause, a programmed
developmental arrest induced by short autumnal day length. The selective
mechanisms that determine the timing of autumnal diapause initiation have
not been empirically identified. We quantified latitudinal clines in
genetically determined diapause timing of an invasive mosquito, Aedes
albopictus, on two continents. We show that variation in diapause timing
within and between continents is explained by a novel application of a
growing degree day (GDD) model that delineates a location-specific
deadline after which it is not possible to complete an additional full
life cycle. GDD models are widely used for predicting spring phenology by
modeling growth and development as physiological responses to ambient
temperatures. Our results show that the energy accumulation dynamics
represented by GDD models have also led to the evolution of an
anticipatory life-history cue in autumn.