"Why don't seaweeds spread beyond their present boundaries along an uninterrupted rocky coastline?", asked Breeman in 1988. Two principal aspects play a central role in shaping biogeographical distribution patterns: temperature-dependent effects on performance (e.g., growth, photosynthesis) and temperature tolerance (i.e., survival). The temperature responses of species are often correlated with the local thermal environments, i.e., species are locally adapted, but may vary seasonally or among populations or life stages due to phenotypic plasticity. Accordingly, it is necessary to differentiate three types of temperature responses: (1) genetic adaptation to local conditions, (2) phenotypic acclimation in response to variation of environmental conditions, and (3) short-term physiological regulation. The responses take place over different timescales: seconds to minutes (regulation), hours to days (acclimation), and up to thousands of millions of years (adaptation). This chapter reviews the temperature responses of seaweeds and their biogeographical implications.
Local Temperature Adaptation of Growth and PhotosynthesisThe effect of temperature on performance traits, such as growth and photosynthesis, is typically visualized using temperature-response curves. Both growth and photosynthetic rates of seaweeds increase with temperature, plateau at a maximal level, A. Eggert (*)