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Limited capacity for acclimation of thermal physiology in a salamander, Desmognathus brimleyorum

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Abstract

Habitats vary in temperature both spatially and temporally. Variation in thermal habitat introduces challenges to organisms and may reduce fitness unless organisms can physiologically adjust to such changes. Theory predicts that thermal variability should influence the capacity for acclimation such that increased variation should favor a reduction in the thermal sensitivity of physiological traits. In this study, we investigated acclimation to constant and variable conditions in populations of the salamander Desmognathus brimleyorum from the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, USA. We exposed salamanders to constant and variable temperature regimes for 8 weeks in the laboratory. We then tested salamanders for acclimation of thermal tolerance, and the thermal sensitivities of swimming performance and standard metabolic rate. Our results indicate limited capacity for thermal acclimation to constant and variable conditions in D. brimleyorum. Instead, variation in physiological traits is dominated by differences among populations. Population differences do not appear to be correlated with observed variation in the thermal conditions of the streams, but are likely a consequence of structural and ecological differences. Due to the mixed support for theoretical predictions for acclimation to alternative environments, further consideration should be given to revising and expanding current theoretical models.

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Acknowledgments

We thank T. Young and members of the Gifford Lab at UALR for assistance in the field and laboratory. Comments from two anonymous reviewers improved previous versions of this manuscript. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the US National Science Foundation (MEG, DEB-0949038) provided financial support for this research. This research was approved by the UALR Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) under protocol #R-11-02.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Avenue, Little Rock, AR, 72204, USA

    Matthew E. Gifford

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Vanessa K. H. Young

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  1. Vanessa K. H. Young
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  2. Matthew E. Gifford
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Correspondence to Matthew E. Gifford.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Young, V.K.H., Gifford, M.E. Limited capacity for acclimation of thermal physiology in a salamander, Desmognathus brimleyorum . J Comp Physiol B 183, 409–418 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-012-0717-0

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