Replication data for: Phenotypic plasticity and thermal efficiency of temperature responses in two conspecific springtail populations from contrasting climates

In the present dataset, we focused on a soil microarthropod species abundant across the Northern Hemisphere, Folsomia quadrioculata (Collembola), with previously-known effects of macroclimate. We selected an arctic and a temperate population from areas with contrasting climates (highly stochastic and preictable, respectively) and compared them for thermal plasticity and thermal efficiency in growth, development, fecundity, and survival across four temperatures (10, 15, 20 and 25°C) for a major part of their life cycle. We intended to understand the mechanisms by which temperature drives the evolution of life history strategies. We found that the temperate population maximized performance at 10–15°C, whereas the arctic population maintained its thermal efficiency across a wider temperature range (10–20°C). Thermal plasticity varied in a trait-specific manner, but when considered together with differences in thermal efficiency, indicated that stochasticity in temperature conditions may be important in shaping the life history strategies. Analyses of these data reveal the importance of a "whole-organism approach" and physiological time considerations in clarifying thermal adaptation and understanding plausible climate-trait links underlying organismal responses to global climate change.