Data from: Natural selection on thermal preference, critical thermal maxima, and locomotor performance

Climate change is radically transforming the thermal quality of habitats across the globe. Whereas species have altered their distributions to cope with changing environments, the evidence for adaptation in response to rising temperatures is limited. However, to first understand the likelihood of adaptation in response to thermal variation, we need to garner an estimation on how natural selection targets and shapes the variation in traits useful for accommodating warmer environments. Most inferences regarding physiological adaptation are based on interspecific analyses, and those of selection on thermal traits are scarce. Here, we estimated natural selection on major thermal traits most important for assessing the vulnerability of ectothermic organisms to altered thermal niches. We detected significant directional selection favoring lizards with warmer thermal preferences and sprint performance at their optimal temperature. Our analyses also revealed correlational selection between thermal preference and critical thermal maxima, where individuals that preferred warmer body temperatures with cooler critical thermal maxima were favored by selection. If thermal traits are heritable, we conclude evolutionary adaptation may be a viable mechanism of long-term persistence in altered thermal environments.