Data from: Extreme operative temperatures are better descriptors of the thermal environment than mean temperatures

In ecological studies of thermal biology the thermal environment is most frequently described using the mean or other measures of central tendency in environmental temperatures. However, this procedure may hide biologically relevant thermal variation for ectotherms, potentially misleading interpretations. Extremes of operative temperatures (EOT) can help with this problem by bracketing the thermal environment of focal animals. Within this paper, we quantify how mean operative temperatures relate to the range of simultaneously available operative temperatures (a measure of error). We also show how EOT: 1) detect more thermal differences among microsites than measures of central tendency, like the mean OT, 2) allow inferring on microsite use by ectothermic animals, and 3) clarify the relationships between field operative temperatures and temperatures measured at weather stations (WS). To do that, we explored operative temperatures measured at four sites of the Brazilian Caatingas and their correspondent nearest weather stations. We found that the daily mean OT can hide temperature ranges of 41 °C simultaneously available at our study sites. In addition, EOT detected more thermal differences among microsites than central quantiles. We also show how EOT allow inferring about microsite use of ectothermic animals in a given site. Finally, the daily maximum temperature and the daily temperature range measured at WSs predicted well the minimum available field OT at localities many kilometers away. Based on our results, we recommend the use of EOT, instead of mean OT, in thermal ecology studies.在热生物学的生态学研究中，研究者通常采用环境温度的均值或其他集中趋势指标来描述热环境。然而，这一研究范式可能掩盖外温动物（ectotherms）相关的生物学意义的热变异，进而导致解读出现偏差。操作温度极值（EOT）可通过框定目标动物的热环境范围，有效解决这一问题。本文中，我们量化了平均操作温度与同时可获取的操作温度范围（一种误差衡量指标）之间的关联。此外，我们还阐明了EOT的三项核心优势：其一，相较于均值操作温度（mean OT）等集中趋势指标，EOT能更精准地检测微生境间的热差异；其二，可用于推断外温动物的微生境利用模式；其三，有助于厘清野外操作温度与气象站（WS）所测温度之间的关联。为开展上述研究，我们分析了巴西卡廷加植被区四个采样点及其对应最近气象站的操作温度实测数据。研究发现，日平均操作温度会掩盖本研究采样点中同时存在的最高可达41℃的温度范围。此外，相较于分位数等集中趋势指标，EOT能检测出更多微生境间的热差异。我们还证实，EOT可用于推断特定区域内外温动物的微生境利用情况。最后，气象站测得的日最高温度与日温度极差，可较好地预测数公里外区域的最小野外可获取操作温度。基于上述研究结果，我们建议在热生态学研究中采用操作温度极值（EOT）替代平均操作温度。