From individuals to populations: How intraspecific competition shapes thermal reaction norms

Most ectotherms follow the temperature-size rule (TSR): in cold environments individuals grow slowly but reach a large asymptotic length. Intraspecific competition can induce plastic changes of growth rate and asymptotic length and competition may itself be modulated by temperature. Our aim is to disentangle the joint effects of temperature and intraspecific competition on growth rate and asymptotic length. We used two distinct clonal lineages of the Collembola Folsomia candida , to describe thermal reaction norms of growth rate, asymptotic length and reproduction over 6 temperatures between 6°C and 29°C. In parallel, we measured the long-term size-structure and dynamics of populations reared under the same temperatures to measure growth rates and asymptotic lengths in populations and to quantify the joint effects of competition and temperature on these traits. We show that intraspecific competition modulates the temperature-size rule. In dense populations there is a direct negative effect of temperature on asymptotic length, but there is no temperature dependence of the growth rate, the dominant factor regulating growth being competition. We fail to demonstrate that the strength of competition varies with temperature except at the lowest temperature where competition is minimal. The two lineages responded differently to the joint effects of temperature and competition and these genetic differences have marked effects on population dynamics along our temperature gradient. Our results reinforce the idea that the TSR response of ectotherms can be modulated by biotic and abiotic stressors when studied in non-optimal laboratory experiments. Untangling complex interactions between environment and demography will help understanding how size will respond to environmental change and how climate change may influence population dynamics.