Bergmann's principle and deep-water gigantism in marine crustaceans

Abstract

We present a review of the Bergmann's principle and deep-water gigantism in marine crustaceans. An increase in the geographic latitude and depth of crustaceans habitat (correlating mainly with lower temperatures) leads to an increased cell size, life span of the animal, and, as a result, an increase in the body size. Since Bergmann's principle and deep-water gigantism appear to be based on the same biological mechanisms, we propose a unified principle, according to which the size of the crustacean's body increases along the temperature gradient.