Rate and capacity of acclimation of temperature tolerance in ectothermic animals

Organisms experience environments that change by different amounts and at different rates throughout their lives. Phenotypic plasticity helps organisms respond to such change because it can facilitate a ‘match’ between the phenotype of the individual and the phenotype that is optimal in its present environment. Here we evaluate the ability of organisms to match both the amplitude and tempo of environmental fluctuations by asking whether a relationship exists between the capacity and rate of phenotypic plasticity, and if so, in what direction? We re-analyze published data from experiments documenting the temporal dynamics of acclimation in thermal tolerance to temperature change. Across species of reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and crustaceans, we find that the rate and the capacity with which thermal tolerance can respond plastically to temperature change is negatively correlated. In other words, when plastic adjustment of the phenotype is large, the rate at which that adjustment c..., We utilized the existing database of plasticity time course experiments provided by Einum and Burton (2023), https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hqq. This database contained data from 308 experiments from 60 studies. The procedure for compiling studies, eligibility criteria for inclusion, and the method applied for estimating rates of plasticity is given in detail in (Einum & Burton 2023). Briefly, though, these studies consisted of experiments where animals, having been acclimated to a given initial temperature, were abruptly shifted to a new acclimation temperature (either lower or higher). Thermal tolerance was measured prior to and at different time steps t (in h) after this shift. Measures of thermal tolerance were either critical maximum temperature (CTmax) or critical minimum temperature (CTmin). The data set also contained a lower number of experiments that had measured the time to some defined response such as immobility or death when exposed to a detrimental high or low te..., , # Title of Dataset: Rate and capacity of acclimation to temperature tolerance in ectothermic animals

---

We compiled data on rates of acclimation of temperature tolerance in ectothermic animals from the litterature.
The data were used to describe how such rates may vary taxonomically as well as in response to environmental temperature and body size.

## Description of the Data and file structure

All data are given in the file \"Raw_data.txt\".
Missing data for specific variables are given as \"NA\"

## Abbreviated variable names in \"Raw\_data.txt\":

Search \"Which search the study was identified by. See \"\"Methods\"\" in current entry for details\"
Author Lead author of study from which the data were obtained
Year Year of publication of study from which the data were obtained
study Study coded as number
species Species name of organism used in study
measurement.type Measure of thermal tolerance as reported by study
measurement.type.simplified Measure of thermal tolerance ...