Data from: Geographic variation in adult and embryonic desiccation tolerance in a terrestrial-breeding frog

Intra-specific variation in the ability of individuals to tolerate
environmental perturbations is often neglected when considering the
impacts of climate change. Yet this information is potentially crucial for
mitigating deleterious effects of climate change on threatened species.
Here we assessed patterns of intra-specific variation in desiccation
tolerance in the frog Pseudophryne guentheri, a terrestrial-breeding
species experiencing a drying climate. Adult frogs were collected from six
populations across a rainfall gradient and their dehydration and
rehydration rates were assessed. We also compared desiccation tolerance of
embryos and hatchlings originating from within-population parental crosses
from four of the populations. Embryos were reared on soil at three
soil-water potentials and their desiccation tolerance was assessed across
a range of traits. We found significant and strong patterns of
intra-specific variation in almost all traits, both in adults and
first-generation offspring. Adult frogs exhibited clinal variation in
their water balance responses, with populations from drier sites both
dehydrating and rehydrating more slowly compared to frogs from more mesic
sites. Similarly, desiccation tolerance of first-generation offspring was
significantly greater in populations from xeric sites. Our findings
suggest that populations within this species will respond differently to
the regional reduction in rainfall predicted by climate change models.