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Toward a general theory for the universality and scaling in critical thermal responses in biology

Jose Ignacio Arroyo, Pablo A. Marquet, Christopher P. Kempes, Geoffrey West

TL;DR

A theory showing that under appropriate normalizations and rescalings, temperature response curves show a remarkably regular behavior and follow a general, universal law has the potential to explain the origin of different scaling relationships in thermal performance in biology.

Abstract

We developed a theory showing that under appropriate normalizations and rescalings, temperature response curves show a remarkably regular behavior and follow a general, universal law. The impressive universality of temperature response curves remained hidden due to various curve-fitting models not well-grounded in first principles. In addition, this framework has the potential to explain the origin of different scaling relationships in thermal performance in biology, from molecules to ecosystems. Here, we summarize the background, principles and assumptions, predictions, implications, and possible extensions of this theory.

Toward a general theory for the universality and scaling in critical thermal responses in biology

TL;DR

A theory showing that under appropriate normalizations and rescalings, temperature response curves show a remarkably regular behavior and follow a general, universal law has the potential to explain the origin of different scaling relationships in thermal performance in biology.

Abstract

We developed a theory showing that under appropriate normalizations and rescalings, temperature response curves show a remarkably regular behavior and follow a general, universal law. The impressive universality of temperature response curves remained hidden due to various curve-fitting models not well-grounded in first principles. In addition, this framework has the potential to explain the origin of different scaling relationships in thermal performance in biology, from molecules to ecosystems. Here, we summarize the background, principles and assumptions, predictions, implications, and possible extensions of this theory.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 13 sections, 38 equations, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. THEORY
  3. IMPLICATIONS AND EXTENSIONS
  4. CONCLUSIONS

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Examples of temperature response curves and their fit to equation (\ref{['eq_log_scale']}). The plots in the left (A-F) are plotted in linear vs temperature (Kelvin), and the plots in the right (G-L) are plotted in logarithmic vs. $1/T$ (Kelvin). Plots A-C are concave, and D-F are convex. Plots A and D are left skewed, plots B and E are approximately symmetric, and plots C and F are right skewed. The data was compiled from ayala2022designdingha2009effectsyang2020aggregationlopez2021evolutionhargrove2020modelslevin2015subtropical.
  • Figure 2: Universal patterns of temperature response predicted by Eq. \ref{['eq_log_scale_universal']} (A) and \ref{['eq_log_scale_universal']} (B).
  • Figure 3: Examples of scaling behavior in thermal performance (A) Relationship between species richness and temperature in hot springs ruhl2022microbial, (B) maximum and optimum temperature in phytoplankton, insects, and lizards pinsky2019greater. (C) population growth rate and optimum temperature in Drosophilaalruiz2023temperature and Parameciumkrenek2012coping.(D) optimum temperature and body mass in insects angilletta2004temperature. Abbreviations: r-sq: r-squared, p-val: p-value.