Cold snaps, heatwaves, and arthropod growth

Abstract

1. Arthropod performance is a non-linear function of temperature, and thus global climate change may impact arthropods in a variety of non-obvious ways. 2. In this paper, the well-known thermal performance curve is reviewed briefly and attention is drawn to the importance of variance in temperature, particularly major weather events such as cold snaps and heatwaves. 3. A model is developed that considers the asymmetry between cold and heat stress and, particularly, the different timescales of recovery from these stressors: near-instantaneous for cold and lagged effects from heat. 4. Growth rate is evaluated as a function of weather-event intensity and length. Including the timescale asymmetry exacerbates both heat stress and, to a much lesser degree, cold stress.