Cold comfort: metabolic rate and tolerance to low temperatures predict latitudinal distribution in ants

Metabolic compensation has been proposed as a mean for ectotherms to cope with colder climates. For example, under the metabolic cold adaptation and the metabolic homeostasis hypotheses (MCA and MHH), it has been formulated that cold-adapted ectotherms should display both higher (MCA) and more thermally sensitive (MHH) metabolic rates (MRs) at lower temperatures. However, whether such compensation can truly be associated with distribution, and whether it interplays with cold-tolerance to support species’ climatic niches, remains largely unclear despite broad ecological implications thereof. Here, we teased apart the relationship between MRs, cold-tolerance, and distribution, to test the MCA/MHH among 13 ant species. We report clear metabolic compensation effects, consistent with the MCA and MHH, where MR parameters strongly correlated with latitude and climatic factors across species’ distributions. The combination of both cold-tolerance and MR further upheld the best predictions of spe..., Cold tolerance and metabolic data of model species. Georeferrenced species records can be publicly accessed fron the Global Ant Biodiversity (GABI) database, and climatic data extracted from the global database of soil and near-surface temperatures (SoilTemp) database., , # Cold Comfort: metabolic rate and tolerance to low temperatures predict latitudinal distribution in ants

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## General description: files include

1. Cold-tolerance\_dataset.xlsx: Cold-tolerance dataset of model species
2. Metabolic\_rate\_dataset.xlsx: Metabolic rate dataset of model species at 3 temperatures and climatic variables averaged over species' distribution
3. Respirometry\_raw\_data\_graph.pdf: Respirometry trace of each model species at 3 temperatures

Cold tolerance and metabolic data of model species are laboratory recorded. Climatic data have been extracted from interpolating the the Global Ant Biodiversity (GABI) database georeferenced records with the global database of soil and near-surface temperatures (SoilTemp)

Date of collection: 2021-2023
Localisation of collection: Aarhus

Links to publications that cite or use the data: Willot, Q., Ørsted, M., Malte, H., Overgaard, J. (2023).Cold comfort: metabolic rate and tolerance to low temperatures predict latitudinal...