Effect of body size and temperature on generation time in zooplankton

Abstract

The relationships of generation time to both adult body mass and temperature are critical to our understanding of numerous aspects of zooplankton behavior, ecology and evolution, yet these relationships remain poorly understood. Here, I use a meta-analysis to define the relationship of generation time to body mass and temperature for both marine and freshwater zooplankton species (rotifers, copepods and cladocera), for temperatures from 5-20°C. I also define a relationship for the constituent parts of generation time (embryonic and postembryonic development time) as a function of egg and body mass for zooplankton across this temperature range. These relationships provide powerful tools for evaluating differences in generation time between individual zooplankton species.