Data for: Variation among genotypes in responses to increasing temperature in a marine parasite: evolutionary potential in the face of global warming?

Data set and analysis scripts for 'Variation among genotypes in responses to increasing temperature in a marine parasite: evolutionary potential in the face of global warming?' (doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.07.002)

Abstract:

Climates are changing worldwide, and populations are under selection to adapt to these changes. Changing temperature, in particular, can directly impact ectotherms and their parasites, with potential consequences for whole ecosystems. The potential of parasite populations to adapt to climate change largely depends on the amount of genetic variation they possess in their responses to environmental fluctuations. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to look at differences among parasite genotypes response to temperature, with the goal of quantifying the extent of variation among conspecifics in their responses to increasing temperature. Snails infected with single genotypes of the trematode Maritrema novaezealandensis were sequentially acclimatised to two different temperatures, ‘current’ (15 °C) and ‘elevated’ (20 °C), over long periods. These temperatures are based on current average field conditions in the natural habitat and those predicted to occur during the next few decades. The output and activity of cercariae (free-swimming infective stages emerging from snails) were assessed for each genotype each temperature. The results indicate that, on average, both cercarial output and activity are higher the elevated acclimation temperature. More importantly, the output and activity of cercariae are strongly influenced by a genotype-by-temperature interaction, such that different genotypes show different responses to increasing temperature. Both the magnitude and direction (increase or decrease) responses to temperature varied widely among genotypes. Therefore, there is much potential for natural selection to act on this variation, and predicting how the trematode M. novaezealandensis will respond the climate changes predicted for the next century will prove challenging.