Scaling Temperature Effects on Metabolism from Individuals to Ecosystems

The effects of temperature on metabolic rates are a core component of ecological change, with surprisingly regular effects across diverse ecological systems. Metabolic scaling theories can provide quantitative explanations for change in population, community, and ecosystem processes by relating ecological processes to the temperature dependence of metabolic processes, specifically major and highly conserved processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. Differences in scaling models for temperature relative to allometric scaling models affect the application of scaling theory to ecological systems. Recent theoretical and empirical advances include extending the theory beyond equilibrium conditions to test the effects of scaling on changes at population and community levels of organization, with particular success in aquatic systems. Challenges remain for advancing scaling theory for dynamic systems, mutualisms, and the effects of thermal asymmetries. Still, the scaling literature offers a rich body of knowledge that touches many ecological disciplines and is rapidly advancing to meet the challenges of integrating knowledge of ecological change in an operational framework.