Temperature and reproductive metabolism in macrobenthic populations

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Clarke (1987; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 38:89-99) analysed the effects of variation in mainte- nance metabolic costs with temperature on reproductive metabolism in poikilotherrnic animals. Based on model calculations, he concluded that annual mass-speclfic gonad production (GP) and the share of assimilated energy used for reproductive purposes (RE) are affected in opposite ways by temperature. In animals of similar size and ecology either GP wdl decrease with decreasing temperature if RE remains constant or RE will increase with decreasing temperature If GP remains constant. Empirical data on productivity of marine benthic invertebrate populations suggest that the evolutionary adapta- tends toward changing GP and maintaining RE independent of temperature. tion of gonad n~etabolisn~ KEY WORDS: Macrozoobenthos . Reproduction . Temperature affected