Thermal Acclimation Ability Varies in Temperate and Tropical Aquatic Insects from Different Elevations

Synopsis

It has long been recognized that populations and species occupying different environments vary in their thermal tolerance traits. However, far less attention has been given to the impact of different environments on the capacity for plastic adjustments in thermal sensitivity, i.e., acclimation ability. One hypothesis is that environments characterized by greater thermal variability and seasonality should favor the evolution of increased acclimation ability compared with environments that are aseasonal or thermally stable. Additionally, organisms under selection for high heat tolerance may experience a trade-off and lose acclimation ability. Few studies have tested these non-mutually exclusive hypotheses at both broad latitudinal and local elevation scales in phylogenetically paired taxa. Here, we measure short-term acclimation ability of the critical thermal maximum (CT_MAX) in closely related temperate and tropical mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera) from mountain streams at different elevations. We found that stream temperature was a good predictor of acclimation ability in mayflies, but not in stoneflies. Specifically, tropical mayflies showed reduced acclimation ability compared with their temperate counterparts. High elevation tropical mayflies had greater acclimation ability than low elevation mayflies, which reflected the wider temperature variation experienced in high elevation streams. In contrast, temperate and tropical stoneflies exhibited similar acclimation responses. We found no evidence for a trade-off between heat tolerance and acclimation ability in either taxonomic order. The acclimation response in stoneflies may reflect their temperate origin or foraging mode. In combination with previous studies showing tropical taxa have narrower thermal breadths, these results demonstrate that many lower elevation tropical aquatic insects are more vulnerable to climate warming than their temperate relatives.