Data from: Embryonic developmental temperatures modulate thermal acclimation of performance curves in tadpoles of the frog Limnodynastes peronii

Performance curves of physiological rates are not fixed, and determining
the extent to which thermal performance curves can change in response to
environmental signals is essential to understand the effect of climate
variability on populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether
and how temperatures experienced during early embryonic development affect
thermal performance curves of later life history stages in the frog
Limnodynastes peronii. We tested the hypotheses that a) the embryonic
environment affects mean trait values only; b) temperature at which
performance of tadpoles is maximal shifts with egg incubation temperatures
so that performance is maximised at the incubation temperatures, and c)
incubation temperatures modulate the capacity for reversible acclimation
in tadpoles. Growth rates were greater in warm (25°C) compared to cold
(15°C) acclimated (6 weeks) tadpoles regardless of egg developmental
temperatures (15°C or 25°C, representing seasonal means). The breadth of
the performance curve of burst locomotor performance (measured at 10, 15,
20, 25, and 30°C, representing annual range) is greatest when egg
developmental and acclimation temperatures coincide. The mode of the
performance curves shifted with acclimation conditions and maximum
performance was always at higher temperatures than acclimation conditions.
Performance curves of glycolytic (lactate dehydrogenase activities) and
mitochondrial (citrate synthase and cytochrome c oxidase) enzymes were
modulated by interactions between egg incubation and acclimation
temperatures. Lactate dehydrogenase activity paralleled patterns seen in
burst locomotor performance, but oxygen consumption rates and
mitochondrial enzyme activities did not mirror growth or locomotor
performance. We show that embryonic developmental conditions can modulate
performance curves of later life-history stages, thereby conferring
flexibility to respond to environmental conditions later in life.