Testing metabolic cold adaptation and the climatic variability hypothesis in two latitudinally distant populations of a supratidal water beetle

Temperature significantly impacts ectotherm physiology, with thermal tolerance and metabolic traits typically varying with latitude across species ranges. The drivers of this variation remain unclear, however, despite obvious consequences for population persistence and conservation in the face of ongoing global change. This study explored local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity of metabolic rates and thermal limits in the supratidal rockpool beetle Ochthebius lejolisii. Using populations from localities at different ends of the species range that experience contrasting thermal variability, we simultaneously tested two of the major paradigms of spatial physiological ecology: metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) and the climatic variability hypothesis (CVH). Reciprocal acclimation was conducted under spring temperature regimes of both localities, incorporating local diurnal variation. Metabolic rates were measured by closed respirometry, and thermal tolerance limits estimated through thermography. In line with MCA, the higher-latitude population (colder climate) showed higher metabolic rates and temperature coefficients (Q₁₀s) at lower temperatures than the lower-latitude population. As predicted by the CVH, the lower-latitude population (more variable climate) showed higher upper thermal tolerance but only the higher-latitude population was able to acclimate upper thermal limits. This result suggests trade-offs between physiological thermal limits and thermal plasticity in this species. A limited acclimation capacity could make populations on Mediterranean coasts especially vulnerable in the face of projected increases in extreme temperatures under ongoing climate change.