DOI: 10.5061/dryad.g32q0h0
title: Data from: Physiological responses to elevated temperature across the geographic range of a terrestrial salamander

description: Widespread species often possess physiological mechanisms for coping with
 thermal heterogeneity, and uncovering these mechanisms provides insight
 into species responses to climate change. The emergence of non-invasive
 corticosterone (CORT) assays allows us to rapidly assess physiological
 responses to environmental change on a large scale. We lack, however, a
 basic understanding of how temperature affects CORT, and whether
 temperature and CORT interactively affect performance. Here, we examine
 the effects of elevated temperature on CORT and whole-organism performance
 in a terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus, across a latitudinal
 gradient. Using water-borne hormone assays, we found that raising ambient
 temperature from 15 to 25&[deg]C increased CORT release at a
 similar rate for salamanders from all sites. However, CORT release rate
 was higher overall in the warmest, southernmost site. Elevated
 temperatures also affected physiological performance, but the effects
 differed among sites. Ingestion rate increased in salamanders from the
 warmer sites but remained the same for those from cooler sites. Mass gain
 was reduced for most individuals, though this reduction was more dramatic
 in salamanders from the cooler sites. We also found a
 temperature-dependent relationship between CORT and food conversion
 efficiency (i.e., the amount of mass gained per unit food ingested). CORT
 was negatively related to food conversion efficiency at 25&[deg]C
 but was unrelated at 15&[deg]C. Thus, the energetic gains of
 elevated ingestion rates may be counteracted by elevated CORT release
 rates experienced by salamanders in warmer environments. By integrating
 multiple physiological metrics, we highlight the complex relationships
 between temperature and individual responses to warming climates.
description: Physiological
 measurements in the eastern red-backed salamander - corticosterone release
 rate and thermal performanceData was collected in
 the laboratory using field-collected salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) from
 4 study sites in ME, NY, MD, and VA. The file was created using Microsoft
 Excel. The column headings are as follows: experiment (indicates which of
 the physiological studies the data corresponds to); site code (indicates
 the state of origin); site name (specifies the collection site); site heat
 value (refers to the mean daily maximum temperature at the collection site
 as explained in the associated manuscript); salamander ID (a unique code
 given to each study animal); experimental temp (15 or 25°C as explained in
 the associated manuscript); sex (m or f); svl (snout-vent length measured
 to posterior edge of cloaca); tail length (measured from posterior edge of
 cloaca); total length (svl + tail length); mass (refers to the mass
 recorded at the time of corticosterone sampling); corticosterone release
 rate (see associated manuscript for methodology); performance initial mass
 (refers to the mass recorded at the start of each thermal performance
 trial); performance final mass (refers to the mass at the end of each
 performance trial); days between mass (refers to the number of days that
 passed between initial and final mass events); performance (% change in
 mass/day); ingestion (total number of flies consumed/day during
 performance trial).Novarro et al. Salamander
 Thermal Physiology Data.csv