Thermal tolerance of meltwater stonefly Lednia tumana nymphs from an alpine stream in Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, USA
Treanor HB, Giersch JJ, Kappenman KK, Muhlfeld CC, Webb MA. 2013. Thermal tolerance of meltwater stonefly Lednia tumana nymphs from an alpine stream in Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, USA. Freshwater Science. 32(2):597-605
Lednia tumana study at Lunch Creek in Glacier NP. We measured the critical thermal maximum (CTM)and lethal temperature maximum (LTM) of the meltwater stonefly (Lednia tumana), a species limited to glacial and snowmelt-driven alpine streams in the Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park area and a candidate for listing under the US Endangered Species Act. We collected L. tumana nymphs from Lunch Creek in Glacier National Park, Montana (USA) and transported them to a laboratory at the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station, Polson, Montana. We placed nymphs in a controlled water bath at 1 of 2 acclimation temperatures, 8.5 and 15uC. We increased water temperature at a constant rate of 0.3uC/min. We calculated the average CTM and LTM (6 SD) for each acclimation temperature and compared them with Student’s t-tests. Predicted chronic temperature maxima were determined using the M rule. Mean LTMs were 32.3 6 0.28uC and 31.05 6 0.78uC in the 8.5 and 15uC acclimation treatments,respectively. CTM and LTM metrics were lower in the 15 than in the 8.5uC acclimation treatment, but these differences were not statistically significant (p . 0.05). The predicted chronic temperature maxima were 20.6 and 20.2uC for the 8.5 and 15uC acclimation treatments, respectively. More research is needed on the effects of chronic exposures to rising stream temperatures, but our results can be used to assess the potential effects of warming water temperatures on L. tumana and other aquatic macroinvertebrates in alpine ecosystems.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Treanor, Hilary; Giersch, J; Kappenman, Kevin; Muhlfeld, Clint; Webb, Molly
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Climate Change, meltwater stonefly, thermal tolerance
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Communities