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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Thermal Limits Determination for Zooplankton Using a Heat Block
Published on: November 18, 2022
Temperature control of larval dispersal and the implications for marine ecology, evolution, and conservation
Mary I O'Connor1, John F Bruno, Steven D Gaines
1Curriculum in Ecology, CB 3275, Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. maryo@unc.edu
Abstract:
Temperature controls the rate of fundamental biochemical processes and thereby regulates organismal attributes including development rate and survival. The increase in metabolic rate with temperature explains substantial among-species variation in life-history traits, population dynamics, and ecosystem processes. Temperature can also cause variability in metabolic rate within species. Here, we compare the effect of temperature on a key component of marine life cycles among a geographically and taxonomically diverse group of marine fish and invertebrates. Although innumerable lab studies document the negative effect of temperature on larval development time, little is known about the generality versus taxon-dependence of this relationship. We present a unified, parameterized model for the temperature dependence of larval development in marine animals. Because the duration of the larval period is known to influence larval dispersal distance and survival, changes in ocean temperature could have a direct and predictable influence on population connectivity, community structure, and regional-to-global scale patterns of biodiversity.
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