Data from: Thermal tolerance of western corn rootworm: critical thermal limits, knock-down resistance, and chill coma recovery

Data files for manuscript titled "Thermal tolerance of western corn rootworm: critical thermal limits, knock-down resistance, and chill coma recovery".

Metadata is contained within excel file that describes all variables for each tab.

Abstract from paper: Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is one of the most economically important crop pests in the world with estimates of damage and control approximating over $1 billion USD annually. Despite an abundance of research devoted to studying rootworm biology in the central Corn Belt of the United States, key aspects on their thermal ecology are still lacking. Here we address this knowledge gap by measuring critical thermal limits, knock-down resistance, and chill coma recovery. In doing so, we also address methodological questions surrounding measurements of thermal tolerance using a variety of dynamic and static assays. The average critical thermal maxima across all trials was 43.0°C, while the average critical thermal minima was 2.5°C. Critical thermal limits were relatively invariant across all treatments except at faster ramping rates. Knock-down resistance decreased with increasing temperature as survival dropped from 100% at 39°C to 0% within 10 minutes at 44°C. Recovery from chill coma increased by 1.62 minutes for each hour of exposure at 0°C, while survival decreased by 50% after only 24 hours. Combined, our results present the first composite picture of different thermal traits for western corn rootworm, which will be vital for predicting their survival and potential spread under future climate change scenarios.

• Resource Title: Data for "Thermal tolerance of western corn rootworm: critical thermal limits, knock-down resistance, and chill coma recovery".

  File Name: WCR Thermal Methods - Final Data File.xlsx

  Resource Description: Excel file with 6 tabs: Metadata, Start Temperature, Ramping Rate, Knock-down Resistance, Chill Coma Survival, and Chill Coma Recovery.