Temperature explains much of why cold-blooded organisms such as fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and lizards live longer at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes, according to recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online. Assistant Professor Dr. Stephan Munch and research student Santiago Salinas, both of Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences found that for a diverse range of species whose body temperatures vary with the temperature of their surroundings, ambient temperature is the dominant factor controlling geographic variation of lifespan within species.
展开▼
