A General Model for Effects of Temperature on Ectotherm Ontogenetic Growth and Development

Abstract

The temperature size rule (TSR) is the tendency for ectotherms to develop faster but mature at smaller body sizes at higher temperatures. It can be explained by a simple model in which the rate of growth or biomass accumulation and the rate of development have different temperature dependence. The model accounts for both TSR and the less frequently observed reverse-TSR, predicts the fraction of energy allocated to maintenance and synthesis over the course of development, and also predicts that less total energy is expended when developing at warmer temperatures for TSR and vice versa for reverse-TSR. It has important implications for effects of climate change on ectothermic animals.

Department(s)

Biological Sciences

Keywords and Phrases

Development Rate; Ectotherm Development; Energy Budget; Growth Rate; Temperature Size Rule

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0962-8452;1471-2954

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 Royal Society, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2012

Link to Full Text

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