Effects of thermal acclimation on metabolic and feeding rates

This is a dataset of metabolic rates and functional responses, measured in laboratory experiments for a widespread predator-prey pair of freshwater invertebrates, sampled from across a natural stream temperature gradient in Iceland (4–18 °C). We found that acclimation to higher temperatures either h...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: O'Gorman, Eoin
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: University of Essex 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://researchdata.essex.ac.uk/137/
https://researchdata.essex.ac.uk/137/1/Thermal_acclimation_data_and_R_code.zip
Description
Summary:This is a dataset of metabolic rates and functional responses, measured in laboratory experiments for a widespread predator-prey pair of freshwater invertebrates, sampled from across a natural stream temperature gradient in Iceland (4–18 °C). We found that acclimation to higher temperatures either had neutral effects or reduced the thermal sensitivity of both metabolic and feeding rates for the predator, increasing its energetic efficiency. These findings indicate that phenotypic plasticity can act as a buffer against the impacts of environmental warming. As a consequence, predator-prey interactions between ectotherms may be less sensitive to future warming than previously expected.