Cold snaps, heatwaves, and arthropod growth

Abstract

1. Arthropod performance is a non‐linear function of temperature, and thus global climate change may impact arthropods in a variety of non‐obvious ways.2. In this paper, the well‐known thermal performance curve is reviewed briefly and attention is drawn to the importance of variance in temperature, particularly major weather events such as cold snaps and heatwaves.3. A model is developed that considers the asymmetry between cold and heat stress and, particularly, the different timescales of recovery from these stressors: near‐instantaneous for cold and lagged effects from heat.4. Growth rate is evaluated as a function of weather‐event intensity and length. Including the timescale asymmetry exacerbates both heat stress and, to a much lesser degree, cold stress.