Data from: Assessing the upper thermal limit constraining the physiological performance of Callinectes sapidus embryogenesis under climate warming scenarios

Abstract 

This dataset contains physiological and morphological measurements of Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic blue crab) embryos measured under controlled thermal treatments in laboratory experiments, in order to assess temperature-driven constraints on embryonic development in projected warming scenarios.

The dataset (in Excel file format) includes egg size measurements (µm) in “Data_Egg Size Callinectes sapidus.xlsx”, and Electron Transport System activity (µL O₂·h⁻¹·mg protein⁻¹) in “Data_Embryo ETS Callinectes sapidus.xlsx”. Each record is accompanied by metadata on the maternal origin (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, and F6), incubation time (days), and temperature treatment (22ºC, 24ºC, 26ºC, and 28ºC). The dataset is structured into clearly labelled spreadsheets corresponding to each type of measurement, with units provided.

The dataset supports further analysis of temperature effects on marine invasive species, especially concerning early developmental stages and metabolic responses, and may be reused for comparative physiological studies. All data were collected under ethical guidelines for animal research and conform to current regulations.

Methods

The dataset was collected using egg size measurements and ETS activity assays, and has been processed using RStudio v.2024.12.0 software to produce a MS accepted for publication in Neobiota. 

For egg size measurements, the major diameter of twenty randomly selected eggs were measured under a stereo microscope (SMZ25/18, Nikon Instruments Inc.) using the NIS-elements Imaging Software v. 5.21.00. Images were captured at a scale of 250 µm. By the other hand, ETS activity of embryos was measured following the method of Packard (1971), modified by Owens and King (1975), and adapted for microplate readings by Ruiz-Delgado et al. (2019). To calculate ETS activity per unit biomass, protein biomass (mg protein) was determined using the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method described by Smith et al. (1985). Further details are described in the paper “Assessing the upper thermal limit constraining the physiological performance of Callinectes sapidus embryogenesis under climate warming scenarios”.