DOI: 10.5061/dryad.hdr7sqvx4
title: Data from: Diapausing bumble bee queens avoid drowning by using underwater respiration, anaerobic metabolism, and profound metabolic depression

description: Overwintering bumble bee queens enter a state of diapause, remaining
 buried underground until spring. Remarkably, queens of the common eastern
 bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) can survive complete submersion for at least
 one week. We investigated the physiological mechanisms enabling this
 tolerance, testing the hypothesis that submerged diapausing queens rely on
 both underwater respiration and anaerobic metabolism for survival. Using
 respirometry, we detected low but consistent CO2 production during
 submersion, persisting through four and eight days underwater. Underwater
 gas exchange, measured from CO2 levels in the headspace of a respirometry
 chamber, was supported by a decline in dissolved oxygen in the water.
 Submerged bees also accumulated lactate as an anaerobic end-product during
 submersion, which decreased to pre-submersion levels after a week of
 recovery. Recovery was characterized by an immediate increase in metabolic
 rate, followed by a gradual decline to pre-submersion levels over one
 week, accompanied by changes in respiratory patterns. This study reveals
 that diapausing bumble bee queens survive and recover from prolonged
 flooding through a combination of underwater respiration and anaerobic
 metabolism in a state of profound metabolic depression. Such physiological
 capacity underpins their resilience to environmental extremes and provides
 insights into how terrestrial insects may persist in flood-prone habitats.
description: # Data from: Diapausing bumble bee queens avoid drowning by using
 underwater respiration, anaerobic metabolism, and profound metabolic
 depression Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.hdr7sqvx4](10.5061/dryad.hdr7sqvx4)
 ## Description of the data and file structure Four datasets were collected
 from diapausing bumble bee queens (*Bombus impatiens*). ### Files and
 variables #### File: AllDataCompiled.xlsx **Description:** Four datasets
 were collected from diapausing bumble bee queens (*Bombus impatiens*). The
 first data set, named "submersionCO2", presents the individual
 identification, the body mass (g), and carbon dioxide production rates (μL
 CO~2~/hr/g) of diapausing queens before being submerged in water (PreD1),
 immediately after submersion (SubD1), and four (SubD4) and eight (SubD8)
 days of continuous submersion. ##### Variables * Individual ID * Body mass
 (g) * Treatment:  (Presubmersion = PreD1; submersion day 1 = SubD1;
 submersion day 4 = SubD4; submersion day 8 = SubD8) * Carbon dioxide
 production rate (μL CO~2~/hr/g) The second data set, named
 "SubmersionO2", presents the individual identification, the body
 mass (g), and oxygen consumption rates (μmol O~2~/hr/g) of diapausing
 queens after four (SubD4) and eight (SubD8) days of continuous submersion.
 Values obtained using an optical oxygen probe on another group of queens
 are also presented after eight days only (SubD8O).  ##### Variables *
 Individual ID * Body mass (g) * Treatment:  (submersion day 4 = SubD4;
 submersion day 8 = SubD8; submersion day 8 optical probe = SubD8O) *
 Oxygen consumption rate (μmol O~2~/hr/g) The third data set, named
 "RecoveryCO2", presents the individual identification, the body
 mass (g), and carbon dioxide production rates (μL CO~2~/hr/g) of
 diapausing queens recovery after eight days of continuous submersion.
 Rates were measured each day from day one (D1) to day seven (D7), except
 on the sixth day.  ##### Variables * Individual ID * Body mass (g) *
 Post-recovery day: D1 to D7 * Carbon dioxide production rate (μL
 CO~2~/hr/g) The fourth data set, named "Lactate&Alanine",
 presents the individual identification, the body mass (g), the treatments
 (no submersion = PreD1, submerged four days = Sub D4, submerged eight days
 =  Sub D8, and one week after recovery from an eight-day submersion = Post
 D7), and the whole-body lactate and alanine concentrations (μmol/g). 
 ##### Variables * Individual ID * Body mass (g) * Treatment: 
 (Presubmersion = PreD1; submersion day 1 = SubD1; submersion day 4 =
 SubD4; submersion day 8 = SubD8) * Lactate concentration (μmol/g) *
 Alanine concentration (μmol/g) **Code/software** Any program that will
 open a spreadsheet, such as Excel is recommended.