Thermal tolerance

Thermal tolerance is an organism’s capacity to withstand environmental temperatures without losing essential functions or surviving only briefly. It varies across individuals, life stages, and exposure conditions.

Thermal performance curve: A curve showing how an organism’s performance changes across a range of temperatures. Its shape summarizes both the temperature range and the optimum for functioning.
Thermal stress: A condition in which temperature pushes an organism beyond its normal physiological operating range. It describes the challenge that tolerance measures an organism’s ability to endure.
Climate change vulnerability: The degree to which a species or system is susceptible to harm from climate change. Thermal limits indicate whether warming may exceed conditions a species can withstand.
Thermal resistance: The ability of a material or organism to resist change or damage caused by temperature. It is often used interchangeably with thermal tolerance, but can emphasize resistance to change.
Critical thermal maximum: The temperature at which an organism loses a defined ability to function during heating. It provides a measurable upper limit of acute heat tolerance.
Metabolic rate: The rate at which an organism uses energy to maintain life and perform biological processes. Temperature changes metabolic demand and can constrain performance near tolerance limits.
Species distribution: The geographic area in which a species occurs. Thermal tolerance helps set the environmental boundaries of where populations can persist.
Heat avoidance: Behavior that reduces exposure to high temperatures by moving into cooler conditions. Avoidance can prevent overheating without increasing physiological heat tolerance.
Critical thermal minimum: The temperature at which an organism loses a defined ability to function during cooling. It provides a measurable lower limit of acute cold tolerance.
Homeostasis: The regulation of internal conditions within ranges that support biological function. Thermal tolerance depends partly on maintaining internal stability as environmental temperature changes.

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