Abstract
Macroecological relationships provide insights into rules that govern
ecological systems. Bergmann’s Rule posits that members of the same
clade are larger at colder temperatures. Whether temperature drives this
relationship is debated because several other potential drivers covary
with temperature. We conducted a near-global comparative analysis on
marine copepods (100,326 samples, 388 taxa) to test Bergmann’s Rule,
considering other potential drivers. Supporting Bergmann’s Rule, we
found temperature better predicted size than did latitude or oxygen,
with body size decreasing by 44.7% across the temperature range
(-1.7–30ºC). Body size also decreased by 46.0% across the range in
food availability and increased by 11.3% across high-predation to
low-predation systems. Our results provide strong support for Bergman’s
Rule in copepods, but emphasises the importance of other drivers in
modifying this pattern. As the world warms, smaller copepod species are
likely to emerge as “winners”, potentially reducing rates of fisheries
production and carbon sequestration.