{"id":11357,"date":"2024-03-07T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=11357"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:37:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T10:37:25","slug":"20c-seems-the-optimal-temperature-for-life-on-earth-to-thrive-what-does-this-mean-in-a-warming-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/20c-seems-the-optimal-temperature-for-life-on-earth-to-thrive-what-does-this-mean-in-a-warming-world\/","title":{"rendered":"20\u00b0C seems the optimal temperature for life on Earth to thrive \u2013 what does this mean in a warming world?"},"content":{"rendered":"\nMark John Costello<\/a>, Nord University<\/a><\/em> and Ross Corkrey<\/a>, University of Tasmania<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Have you ever wondered about the optimal temperature for life on Earth? For humans, 20\u00b0C is comfortable. Any warmer and we work less efficiently<\/a> because releasing heat requires energy.<\/p>\n\n

We know many species can live at much colder or warmer temperatures than humans. But our systematic review<\/a> of published research found the thermal ranges of animals, plants and microbes living in air and water overlap at 20\u00b0C. Could this be a coincidence?<\/p>\n\n

For all species, the relationship with temperature is an asymmetric bell-shaped curve. This means biological processes increase in line with temperature<\/a>, reach a maximum, and then rapidly decline when it gets too hot. <\/p>\n\n

Recently, a New Zealand research group noticed the number of marine species did not peak at the equator<\/a>, as has been commonly assumed. Rather, the number dipped, with peaks in the subtropics. <\/p>\n\n

Follow-up studies<\/a> showed this dip has been getting deeper since the last ice age about 20,000 years ago. And it has been deepening faster due to global ocean warming. <\/p>\n\n

When the number of species was plotted against the average annual temperature, there was a decline above 20\u00b0C. A second coincidence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biological processes and biodiversity<\/h2>\n\n

Research in Tasmania modelled the growth rates<\/a> of microbes and multi-cellular organisms and found the most stable temperature for their biological processes was also 20\u00b0C. <\/p>\n\n

This \u201cCorkrey model\u201d built on other studies<\/a> showing 20\u00b0C was the most stable temperature for biological molecules. A third coincidence?<\/p>\n\n

We teamed up with colleagues from Canada, Scotland, Germany, Hong Kong and Taiwan to search for general patterns in how temperature affects life. To our surprise, everywhere we looked we kept finding that, indeed, 20\u00b0C is a pivotal temperature for many measures of biodiversity, and not only for marine species. <\/p>\n\n

Examples show temperatures warmer than around 20\u00b0C result in decreases in various crucial measures: <\/p>\n\n