DOI: 10.5061/dryad.rjdfn2z7d
title: Coordinated changes across the O2 transport pathway underlie adaptive increases in thermogenic capacity in high-altitude deer mice

description: Animals native to the hypoxic and cold environment at high altitude
 provide an excellent opportunity to elucidate the integrative mechanisms
 underlying the adaptive evolution of complex traits. The capacity for
 aerobic thermogenesis can be a critical determinant of survival for small
 mammals at high altitude, but the physiological mechanisms underlying the
 evolution of thermogenic capacity remain unresolved. We examined this
 issue by comparing high-altitude deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to
 low-altitude deer mice and white-footed mice (P. leucopus). Mice were bred
 in captivity and adults were acclimated to each of four treatments: warm
 (25°C) normoxia; warm hypoxia (12 kPa O2); cold (5°C) normoxia; or cold
 hypoxia. Acclimation to hypoxia and/or cold increased thermogenic
 capacity, but hypoxia acclimation led to much greater increases in
 thermogenic capacity in highlanders than in lowlanders. The high
 thermogenic capacity of highlanders was associated with increases in
 pulmonary O2 extraction, arterial O2 saturation, cardiac output, stroke
 volume, and arterial-venous O2 difference. These mechanisms underlying the
 evolution of enhanced thermogenic capacity in highlanders were partially
 distinct from those underlying the ancestral acclimation responses of
 lowlanders. Environmental adaptation has thus enhanced phenotypic
 plasticity and expanded the physiological toolkit for coping with the
 challenges at high altitude.
description: Data were collected from Peromyscus mice during acute exposure to
 cold hypoxic heliox. See publication for a detailed description of the
 methods used to collect the data.
description: Not all measurements were made on every individual mouse, as
 described in the main paper and supplementary materials for the
 publication. There was a mistake in the original data file
 (Tate_data_for_repository.xlsx). The data shown in column x were incorrect
 and did not correspond to the data in the published article. The updated
 data file (Tate_data_for_repository_updated.xlsx) contains the correct
 data in column x that corresponds to the data in the published
 article.
description: # Coordinated changes across the O2 transport pathway underlie adaptive
 increases in thermogenic capacity in high-altitude deer mice
 The dataset contains the
 source data for the associated publication. ## Description of the data and
 file structure The first 5 columns (A-E) describe the species, population
 altitude, individual ID, sex, and acclimation environment of each
 individual mouse used in the study, with titles in rows 1 and 2. Columns
 F-AB show the data for different measurements, shown with units in rows 1
 and 2. Rows 3 and greater include the data collected on each individual
 mouse. The abbreviation 'VO2max' is the aerobic capacity for
 thermogenesis. Not all measurements were made on every mouse, in which
 case "NULL" is shown when data were not collected. The original
 datafile (Tate data for repository.xlsx) contained the incorrect data in
 column X. The updated datafile (Tate data for repository_updated.xlsx)
 contains the correct data in column X that is reported in the publication.