Exploring reversibility and contrasting patterns in temperature-size relationships across spatial and temporal scales using subfossil chironomids

The extent to which different magnitudes and directions of temperature fluctuations explain long-term trends in aquatic invertebrate body size in nature is largely unknown. Using elevation gradients and paleolimnological reconstructions, we tested the hypotheses that variations in subfossil chironomid (non-biting midges) head capsules (HC) will covary with temperature changes, with opposite morphometric changes occurring during warming and cooling phases, and that body size variation can be modified by other environmental conditions unassociated with temperature variations. Results indicated that the effects of increasing temperatures on chironomid HC size were reversed when temperatures decreased, with both warming and cooling producing similar effect sizes, corresponding to a change in HC length of ~3% per 1°C. Additionally, our results showed that other environmental drivers can mask temperature effects on chironomid HC sizes. Specifically, we found that bottom water oxygen concentra..., , # Exploring reversibility and contrasting patterns in temperature-size relationships across spatial and temporal scales using subfossil chironomids

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.2280gb64w](10.5061/dryad.2280gb64w)

## **Description of the data and file structure**

This dataset contains information on head capsule lengths and associated lake characteristics across different climatic contexts. The measurements comprised quantification of the length between the top of the median tooth of the mentum (for *Micropsectra insignilobus*-type and *Chironomus anthracinus*-type) or the center of the median teeth (for *Sergentia coracina*-type), and the base of the HC (for *Sergentia coracina*-type and *Chironomus anthracinus*-type) or the inner margin of the post-occipital plate (for *Micropsectra insignilobus*-type).  

·       Files with “elevation” in the filename include data on lake characteristics (e.g., elevation, coordinates, water chemistry) as well as the average head capsule (HC) lengths...,