Gene expression data from mussels (Mytilus edulis) subjected to stable versus fluctuating temperatures from laboratory experiments conducted in 2023

We measured gene expression levels of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis Linneaus, 1758) under stable versus fluctuating water temperatures. Mussels were obtained from the intertidal zone at Black Point in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA (41° 24′ 4.4964″ N, 71° 27′ 43.8228″ W) and shipped in chilled coolers overnight to the lab at Carleton College in Northfild MN. Mussels were acclimated in a recirculating seawater (Instant Ocean, Blacksburg, VA, USA) tank system (Aquaneering Inc., San Marcos, CA, USA) for 2-3 weeks at 14-16°C and fed commercial Shellfish Diet 1800 (Reed Mariculture, Campbell, CA, USA) at a rate of 5% dry mussel tissue weight day-1

During our experiment, mussels were maintained for five days under one of three stable temperature treatments (e.g., 15, 20, or 25°C) or under a fluctuating temperature treatment between 15 and 25°C. On each day of the experiment, gill tissue from three mussels per temperature treatment were sampled to test for the expression of stress response (hsp70) and cellular respiration (NADH) related genes.