Temperature Biology of Animals

1 Thermal energy and the thermal environment.- 1.1 Thermal energy and temperature.- 1.2 Life, the low-temperature phenomenon.- 1.3 Mechanisms of heat transfer.- 1.4 The thermal environment.- 1.5 Conclusions.- 2 The direct effects of temperature changes.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Rate–temperature curves – experimental considerations.- 2.3 Empirical descriptions of rate effects.- 2.4 Theoretical equations.- 2.5 The classification of biological processes by temperature coefficients.- 2.6 Theory of absolute reaction rates.- 2.7 Destructive effects of temperature.- 2.8 Temperature optima of biological processes.- 2.9 Low Q10 and temperature-independent processes.- 2.10 Conclusions.- 3 Body temperature in bradymetabolic animals.- 3.1 Thermal inertia – the contribution of body size to the stabilization of Tb.- 3.2 Selection of a preferred body temperature in ectotherms – an adaptive behavioural response.- 3.3 Body temperature in field conditions.- 3.4 Ecological significance of body temperature – costs and benefits.- 3.5 Is preferred Tb the temperature for optimal functioning?.- 3.6 Endothermic animals.- 3.7 Why set Tb between 30°C and 45°C?.- 3.8 Endothermic insects.- 3.9 The need for ‘warm-up’.- 3.10 Thermoregulation in flight.- 3.11 Thermoregulation in honeybee swarms.- 3.12 Ecological costs and benefits of endothermy in insects.- 3.13 Endothermic fish.- 3.14 Endothermic reptiles.- 3.15 Conclusions.- 4 Body temperature in tachymetabolic animals.- 4.1 Body temperature.- 4.2 Distribution of heat within the body.- 4.3 Metabolism and ambient temperature.- 4.4 Heat production.- 4.5 Heat loss.- 4.6 Thermal insulation.- 4.7 Regional heterothermy.- 4.8 Thermoregulation.- 4.9 Thermoreceptors.- 4.10 Disturbances of the set-point.- 4.11 Adaptive and acclimatory mechanisms.- 4.12 Ontogenetic aspects of thermoregulation.- 4.13 Conclusions.- 5 Rate compensations and capacity adaptations.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Patterns of compensation.- 5.3 Temperature acclimation.- 5.4 Seasonal effects upon acclimation.- 5.5 Cellular mechanisms of compensation.- 5.6 Genotypic adaptation to temperature.- 5.7 Conclusions.- 6 Thermal injury, thermal death and resistance adaptation.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Methods for determining lethal limits.- 6.3 Resistance adaptation.- 6.4 Hardening.- 6.5 Causes of heat death.- 6.6 Cold injury and death.- 6.7 Mechanisms of cold tolerance.- 6.8 A cellular basis for thermal injury and death.- 6.9 Thermal tolerance in multivariate conditions.- 6.10 Lethal limits, temperature and animal distribution.- 6.11 Conclusions.- 7 Effect of temperature on reproduction, development and growth.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Reproduction.- 7.3 Development.- 7.4 Thermal limits of development and temperature-sensitive stages.- 7.5 Temperature and gene expression.- 7.6 Temperature and ageing.- 7.7 Growth.- 7.8 Populations.- 7.9 Conclusions.- References.