Acclimation is beneficial at extreme test temperatures in the Danube crested newt, Triturus dobrogicus (Caudata, Salamandridae)

Abstract

Despite many studies demonstrating the effect of acclimation on behavioural or physiological traits, considerable debate still exists about the evolutionary significance of this phenomenon. One of the unresolved issues is whether acclimation to warmer temperature is beneficial at treatment or at more extreme test temperatures. To answer this question, we assessed the effect of thermal acclimation on preferred body temperatures (Tps), maximum swimming and running speed, and critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in the Danube crested newt (Triturus dobrogicus). Adult newts were kept at 15 °C (control) and 25 °C (treatment) for 8 weeks prior to measurements. We measured Tps in an aquatic thermal gradient over 24 h, maximum speeds in a linear racetrack at six temperatures (5–33 °C), and CTmax in a continuously heated water bath. Tps were higher in newts kept at 15 °C than in those kept at 25 °C. The maximum swimming speed did not acclimate. The maximum running speed at 30–33 °C was substantially higher in newts kept at 25 °C than in those kept at 15 °C. CTmax increased with the treatment temperature. Hence, we conclude that the acclimation response to warm temperature is beneficial not at treatment but at more extreme temperatures in newts. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 627–636.