Abstract
The physiology and behaviour of ectotherms are strongly influenced by environmental temperature. A general hypothesis is that for performance traits, such as those related to growth, metabolism or locomotion, species face a trade-off between being a thermal specialist or a thermal generalist, implying a negative correlation between peak performance and performance breadth across a range of temperatures. Focusing on teleost fishes, we performed a phylogenetically informed comparative analysis of the relationship between performance peak and breadth for aerobic scope (AS), which represents whole-animal capacity available to carry out simultaneous oxygen-demanding processes (e.g. growth, locomotion, reproduction) above maintenance. Literature data for 28 species indicate that peak aerobic capacity is not linked to thermal performance breadth and that other physiological factors affecting thermal tolerance may prevent such a trade-off from emerging. The results therefore suggest that functional links between peak and thermal breadth for AS may not constrain evolutionary responses to environmental changes such as climate warming.
Highlights
Performance traits related to growth, reproduction and locomotion are often depicted using thermal performance curves [1,2] that illustrate how a trait responds to variation in environmental temperature
Data for an additional 15 species were not included because either: (i) aerobic scope (AS) did not increase or decrease appreciably over the temperatures tested; (ii) AS decreased with no obvious peak across temperatures tested in the study, perhaps, because the lowest temperature in the study was above The optimum temperature (Topt); (iii) AS increased with no obvious peak across temperatures tested in the study, perhaps, because the highest temperature in the study was below Topt or (iv) AS continued to increase with temperature until CTmax
Pmax increased with Topt
Summary
Performance traits related to growth, reproduction and locomotion are often depicted using thermal performance curves [1,2] that illustrate how a trait responds to variation in environmental temperature (figure 1). Thermal and biochemical constraints on enzyme structure and function and membrane fluidity suggest that adaptations for increased performance at one temperature may cause decreased performance at other temperatures, resulting in a trade-off between peak performance (Pmax) at a thermal optimum and thermal performance breadth (Tbreadth). Owing to these potential compromises, previous researchers have suggested that a ‘jack of all temperatures is a master of none’ [4]. It remains unknown whether any tradeoff between Pmax and Tbreadth generate interspecific constraints on thermal
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