page_title: Temperature-size rule
section_title: Supporting evidence
hierarchical_section_title: Temperature-size rule / Investigation / Supporting evidence
caption_attribution_description: English: Sceloporus undulatus
context_page_description: The temperature-size rule denotes the plastic response of organismal body size to environmental temperature variation. Organisms exhibiting a plastic response are capable of allowing their body size to fluctuate with environmental temperature. First coined by David Atkinson in 1996, it is considered to be a unique case of Bergmann's rule that has been observed in plants, animals, birds, and a wide variety of ectotherms. Although exceptions to the temperature-size rule exist, recognition of this widespread "rule" has amassed efforts to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying growth and body size variation in differing environmental temperatures.
context_section_description: In the soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, adult body size reared at 10°C was approximately 33% greater than individuals grown at 25°C.
  Ashton & Feldman's (2003) study concluded that chelonians (turtles) follow the temperature-size rule with 14 of 15 sp. decreasing in size with increasing temperature.
  Body size in the larval ant lion, Myrmeleon immaculatus, has been observed to follow Bergmann's size clines in response to latitudinal changes. However, when reared in high and low temperatures, body size was not affected. Food availability was the driving mechanism behind recorded body size variation.
  Hatchlings of Lacerta vivipara, now known as Zootoca vivipara, from high elevation populations were raised in outdoor enclosures at high and low altitudes. They were observed to have faster growth rates and higher mortality rates in the low altitude enclosures. Although there was no mention of exhibiting body size patterns in accordance with the temperature-size rule, the faster growth rates and higher mortality imply that lizards in the high altitude enclosures had slower growth rates and lower hatching mortality, a routine pattern indicative of species that conform to the possible temperature-size rule tradeoff.
  Eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus, exhibit delayed maturation at larger body sizes, a trend consistent with the temperature-size rule.
caption: Eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus).
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