DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m0cfxppd4
title: Experimental evolution reveals that males evolving within warmer thermal regimes improve reproductive performance under heatwave conditions in a model insect

description: Climate change is increasing mean temperatures, and intensifying
 heatwaves. Natural populations may respond to stress through shorter-term
 acclimation via plasticity and/or longer-term inter-generational
 evolution. However, if the pace and/or extent of thermal change is too
 great, local extinctions occur; one potential cause in ectotherms is
 identified to be the heat-liability of male reproductive biology. Recent
 data from several species, including the beetle Tribolium castaneum,
 confirmed that male reproductive biology is vulnerable to heatwaves, which
 may constrain populations. However, such reproductive-damage may be
 overestimated, if there is potential to adapt to elevated mean
 temperatures associated with climate change via evolution and/or
 acclimation. Here, we tested this to evaluate whether pre-exposures could
 improve heatwave tolerance (adaptation or acclimation), by experimentally
 evolving T. castaneum populations to divergent thermal regimes (30°C
 versus 38°C). Findings across assays revealed that relative to 30°C-regime
 males, males from the 38°C regime, maintained constantly at 8°C warmer for
 25 generations, displayed an increase; i) in post heatwave (42°C)
 reproductive fitness by 55%, ii) survival by 33% and iii) 32% larger
 testes volumes. Unexpectedly, in the acclimation assay, warm-adapted
 males’ post-heatwave survival and reproduction were best if they
 experienced cool developmental acclimation beforehand, suggesting a cost
 to adapting to 38°C.These results help progress knowledge of the potential
 for survival and reproduction to adapt to climate change; trait specific
 adaptation to divergent thermal regimes can occur over relatively few
 generations, but this capacity depended on the interaction of evolutionary
 and thermal acclimatory processes.
description: # Experimental evolution reveals that males evolving within warmer thermal
 regimes improve reproductive performance under heatwave conditions in a
 model insect
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m0cfxppd4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m0cfxppd4) ## Description of the data and file structure ***Experimental evolution reveals that males evolving within warmer thermal regimes improve reproductive performance under heatwave conditions in a model insect*** **Kris Salesac**, Gage, M.J.G. c†, Vasudeva, R.**bc*** 7 data files overall that are linked to the findings of this study, incorporated plots and tables/Rscripts - all uploaded in ‘.csv’ format **1) Filename: Thlevoacclimtestesfull.csv** Dataset describing testes volume measurements as a consequence of thermal evolution and acclimation of the regimes. Column A: ID Thermal regime/line/population identification Column B: Line Independent line/population identification Column C: Replicate Replicate measures within each unit of interest Column D: Regime Identifies which thermal regime Column E: Reared Identifies the thermal exposure by regime Column F: Elytra_length Body size measurement Column G: Testes_size Testes volume (mm3) \**2) Filename: **Thlheatwaveacclimationave.csv Dataset describing offspring counts under thermal acclimation of the regimes (averaged). Column A: Regime Identifies which thermal regime Column B: Rearing.Temp Thermal exposure of the line/regime Column C: Line Independent line/population identification Column D: Adult.count.20D Measures of reproductive fitness (offspring counts) \**3) Filename: **Thlheatwaveacclimationfull.csv Dataset describing offspring counts under thermal acclimation of the regimes (full). Column A: Line Line identification/regime Column B: Replicate Replicate measurements Column C: Regime Independent regime identification Column D: Rearing Rearing temperature/exposure Column E: Adult.count.10D.1 Measures of reproductive fitness first ten day block (offspring counts) Column F: Adult.count.10D.2 Measures of reproductive fitness second ten day block (offspring counts) Column G: Adult.count20D Measures of total (days 1+2) reproductive fitness, sum (offspring counts) \**4) Filename: **Thlheatwaveadaptationave.csv Dataset describing offspring counts under thermal adaptation of the regimes (averaged). Column A: Regime Identifies which thermal regime Column B: Heatwave.temp Experimental thermal exposure of the line/regime Column C: Line Independent line/population identification Column D: Adult.count.20D Measures of reproductive fitness (offspring counts) Column E: std.dev Standard deviation calculated Column F: count Replicate counts Column G: std.error Standard error calculated   Column H: no38.21 Unique coding for ease of plot/analysis \**5) Filename: **Thlheatwaveadaptationfull.csv Dataset describing offspring counts under thermal adaptation of the regimes (full). Column A: ID Identification/regime Column B: Line Line identification Column C: Regime Independent regime identification Column D: Heatwave.temp Rearing temperature/exposure Column E: Rep Replicates Column F: Adult.count.10D.1 Measures of reproductive fitness first ten day block (offspring counts) Column G: Adult.count.10D.2 Measures of reproductive fitness second ten day block (offspring counts) Column H: Adult.count20D Measures of total (days 1+2) reproductive fitness, sum (offspring counts) \**6) Filename: **Thlheatwavesurvival.csv Dataset describing survival of adults post thermal exposures by regime. Column A: Replicate Replicates Column B: Regime Thermal regime/population/line Column C: Rearing Exposure temperature Column D: N Sample size (in groups of single sex) of number of animals per Petri dish exposed Column E: Survivors Survivors within the groups (counts) Column F: Deaths Deaths within the groups (counts) Column G: Prop.survivors Proportions calculated from the preceding columns ($E / $D*100) \**7) Filename: **Percent change calculations.csv This dataset involves the summaries (average values) of the different work packages presented in the study and how we arrived at increase/decrease percentages based on the regime