Dataset: Individual thermal limit measurements for Acartia tonsa during Critical Thermal Maxima (CTmax) experiments under different feeding treatments with copepods collected from eastern Long Island Sound in July 2020

Copepods were collected using a 250-um mesh plankton net with a solid cod end and then cultured in the laboratory for several generations. Adult female copepods from the laboratory culture were collected and split into two groups, one fed ad libitum on Tetraselmis sp. and one provided with no food.  Upper thermal limits were then measured daily as the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of individual copepods, or the temperature at which normal behavior ceases. CTmax measurements were made for individuals in both treatments for five days. These measurements are made during a gradual temperature ramp (at a rate of 0.1-0.3°C per minute). The CTmax methodology is described in Sasaki et al. 2023. Copepods are placed into 50 ml flat-bottom glass vials, which are immersed in a water bath. Temperatures are gradually increased using a 300 watt aquarium heater. Individual copepods are monitored throughout the temperature ramp until movement ceases, indicating the individual has reached its CTmax. The water temperature at that point is recovered from a continuous temperature record; three sensors are placed into separate vials in the water bath and record temperature every five seconds for the duration of the experiment. 

Organism identifiers (Life Science Identifier (LSID))
copepod, Acartia tonsa, urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:345943
feeding medium, Tetraselmis sp., urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:134526