Copepod respiration increases by 7% per °C increase in temperature: A meta‐analysis

Abstract Exponential increase in respiration rate with increasing temperature in poikilotherms is well documented, however, the rate of change varies greatly across copepod taxa. Studies often report magnitude of change, but the rate of change in respiration across multiple temperatures is equivocal. We used 32 studies spanning 78 yrs of research and 50 copepod species (three orders) to quantify percent change in respiration rates per one‐unit change in temperature. We found that copepod respiration rates increased by approximately 7% per °C increase in water temperature across the orders Calanoida, Cyclopoida, and Harpacticoida. Neither food availability nor scaling respiration to copepod dry weight affected the rate of change of respiration rates. Studies using Winkler titration to measure oxygen consumption produced significantly larger percent changes in respiration, whereas newer methods such as fiber optics produced smaller effects. These results have far reaching implications for understanding how copepod respiration responds to increasing water temperatures.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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