Data from: Heritable variation in heat shock gene expression: a potential mechanism for adaptation to thermal stress in embryos of sea turtles

The capacity of species to respond adaptively to warming temperatures will
be key to their survival in the Anthropocene. The embryos of egg-laying
species such as sea turtles have limited behavioural means for avoiding
high nest temperatures, and responses at the physiological level may be
critical to coping with predicted global temperature increases. Using the
loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) as a model, we used quantitative
PCR to characterise variation in the expression response of heat shock
genes (hsp60, hsp70, and hsp90; molecular chaperones involved in cellular
stress response) to an acute non-lethal heat shock. We show significant
variation in gene expression at the clutch and population levels for some,
but not all hsp genes. Using pedigree information, we estimated
heritabilities of the expression response of hsp genes to heat shock and
demonstrated both maternal and additive genetic effects. This is the first
evidence that the heat shock response is heritable in sea turtles and
operates at the embryonic stage in any reptile. The presence of heritable
variation in the expression of key thermotolerance genes is necessary for
sea turtles to adapt at a molecular level to warming incubation
environments.