It has been suggested recently that ‘q-exponential’ distributions which form the basis of Tsallis’ non-extensive thermostatistical formalism may be viewed as mixtures of exponential (Gibbs) distributions characterized by a fluctuating inverse temperature. In this paper, we revisit this idea in connection with a detailed microscopic calculation of the energy and temperature fluctuations present ...

In this work we examined morphological variation at different levels to study performance and population structuring of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Our objectives were: (i) to develop an integrated technique for analyzing morphological variation in blue mussels and, based on this technique; (ii) to perform a morphometric description of mussels from the northern part of their range; and (iii...

Forecasting how global warming will affect onset of the growing season is essential for predicting terrestrial productivity, but suffers from conflicting evidence. We show that accurate estimates require ways to connect discrete observations of changing tree status (e.g., pre- vs. post budbreak) with continuous responses to fluctuating temperatures. By coherently synthesizing discrete observati...

How fluctuating temperatures influence reptilian embryos and hatchlings has attracted increasing scientific attention, but is poorly known. We conducted an incubation experiment with a factorial design of two mean temperatures (24 vs. 28 degrees C) and three diel thermal fluctuations (0, +/-3, +/-6 degrees C) to determine the effects of diel thermal fluctuations and mean temperature on incubati...

In the associated review, published in this issue of the Journal, Møller and Manning (2003) propose measures of developmental instability, primarily fluctuating asymmetry, for the assessment of animal welfare in agricultural practice. They see the advantages of fluctuating asymmetry in that it provides a single measure of organismal health that ‘‘can be used in all kinds of organisms including ...