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Temperature and the chemical composition of poikilothermic organisms

  1. H. A. Woods1,*,
  2. W. Makino2,†,
  3. J. B. Cotner2,
  4. S. E. Hobbie2,
  5. J. F. Harrison3,
  6. K. Acharya3,
  7. J. J. Elser3

Article first published online: 23 APR 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00724.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 17, Issue 2, pages 237–245, April 2003

Additional Information

How to Cite

Woods, H. A., Makino, W., Cotner, J. B., Hobbie, S. E., Harrison, J. F., Acharya, K. and Elser, J. J. (2003), Temperature and the chemical composition of poikilothermic organisms. Functional Ecology, 17: 237–245. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2003.00724.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Section of Integrative Biology C0930, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA,

  2. 2

    Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA, and

  3. 3

    Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287–1501, USA

  1. †

    Present address: Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 509-3 Kamitanakami Hirano, Otsu, Shiga 520-2113, Japan

* †Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: art.woods@mail.utexas.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 APR 2003
  2. Article first published online: 23 APR 2003
  3. Received 4 July 2002; revised 21 October 2002; accepted 7 November 2002

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Keywords:

  • Acclimation;
  • growth;
  • nitrogen;
  • phosphorus;
  • stoichiometry

Summary

  • 1
    Temperature strongly affects virtually all biological rate processes, including many central to organismal fitness such as growth rate. A second factor related to growth rate is organismal chemical composition, especially C : N : P stoichiometry. This association arises because high rates of growth require disproportionate investment in N- and P-rich biosynthetic cellular structures. Here the extent to which these factors interact is examined – does acclimation temperature systematically affect organismal chemical composition?
  • 2
    A literature survey indicates that cold-acclimated poikilotherms contain on average 30–50% more nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], protein and RNA than warm-exposed conspecifics. The primary exception was bacteria, which showed increases in RNA content but no change in protein content at cold temperatures.
  • 3
    Two processes – changes in nutrient content (or concentration) and in organism size – contribute to the overall result. Although qualitatively distinct, both kinds of change lead to increased total catalytic capacity in cold-exposed organisms.
  • 4
    Temperature-driven shifts in nutrient content of organisms are likely to resonate in diverse ecological patterns and processes, including latitudinal and altitudinal patterns of nutrient content, foraging decisions by organisms living in strong temperature gradients, and patterns of biodiversity.
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