Thermal performance curve

A thermal performance curve describes how an organism’s performance changes across temperatures, typically rising to an optimum and declining at higher temperatures.

Thermal optimum: The temperature at which a biological process or organism’s performance reaches its maximum. It marks the peak whose location summarizes a curve’s thermal tuning.
Metabolic rate: The rate at which an organism uses energy through metabolism. It is a common performance measure whose temperature response forms a curve.
Thermal acclimation: A reversible adjustment in an organism’s physiology after exposure to a new temperature regime. Acclimation can shift curve optima, breadth, or performance at particular temperatures.
Thermal performance breadth: The span of temperatures over which an organism performs effectively. Breadth is one curve property, unlike the complete temperature-performance relationship.
Thermal breadth: The range of temperatures over which an organism maintains a specified level of performance. It captures how broadly the curve sustains high performance around its peak.
Standard metabolic rate: The minimum metabolic rate of an ectotherm at a specified temperature, measured under standardized resting conditions. Its temperature dependence is often used to quantify baseline physiological performance.
Thermal adaptation: Evolutionary change that increases fitness under the thermal conditions an organism experiences. Comparing curves among populations can reveal evolved differences in temperature response.
Thermal tolerance: The range of temperatures an organism can survive or function within. Tolerance limits describe extremes, while a performance curve also measures performance between them.
Thermal sensitivity: The degree to which a biological rate or trait changes as temperature changes. Temperature sensitivity helps determine the curve’s rising slope and overall shape.
Q10 temperature coefficient: A measure of how much a biological or chemical rate changes with a 10°C temperature increase. It summarizes local temperature sensitivity, though not the full curve’s shape.

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