Sexual (in)equality? A meta-analysis of sex differences in thermal acclimation capacity across ectotherms

1. Climate change is putting the fate of ectothermic animals at stake because their body temperature closely tracks environmental temperatures. The ability to adjust thermal limits and preference through acclimation (i.e., acclimation capacity) may compensate for temperature changes. However, although necessary for forecasting the future of ectotherms in a changing climate, knowledge on the factors modulating these plastic responses is fragmentary. For instance, the influence of an animal’s sex in driving acclimation capacity has been underappreciated.
2. Here, we present the first systematic review and meta-analysis on sex differences in thermal acclimation capacity. Using 239 effect sizes from 37 studies and 44 species, we revealed that males and females did not differ significantly in their overall capacity to acclimate their thermal limits and preference. However, in some instances, females expressed significantly greater plastic responses than males.
3. In wild animals, females h...