A tropical arthropod unravels local and global environmental dependence of seasonal temperature–size response

Abstract

In most ectotherms, adult body size decreases with warming, the so-called ‘temperature–size rule’ (TSR). However, the extent to which the strength of the TSR varies naturally within species is little known, and the significance of this phenomenon for tropical biota has been largely neglected. Here, we show that the adult body mass of the soil mite Rostrozetes ovulum declined as maximum temperature increased over seasons in a central Amazonian rainforest. Further, per cent decline per 8C was fourfold higher in riparian than in upland forests, possibly reflecting differences in oxygen and/or resource supply. Adding our results to a global dataset revealed that, across terrestrial arthropods, the seasonal TSR is generally stronger in hotter environments. Our study suggests that size thermal dependence varies predictably with the environment both locally and globally.