Why can cold-blooded invertebrates live longer at lower temperatures?

Cold-blooded invertebrates, or ectotherms, often live longer at lower temperatures because their metabolism is directly influenced by the ambient temperature of their environment.12

This observation is frequently linked to the rate-of-living hypothesis, which suggests that an organism’s life span is tied to the expenditure of a finite amount of vital energy or a critical substance that is consumed more rapidly at higher temperatures. When environmental temperatures are lower, the metabolic rate of these organisms decreases, which can slow the biological processes associated with aging.32

However, this hypothesis is considered an incomplete explanation. Research indicates that the relationship between temperature and longevity is complex; for instance, metabolic efficiency varies with temperature, and the rate of aging per calorie expended is not uniform across all thermal ranges. While lower temperatures generally correlate with longer life spans in these species, scientists have yet to establish a single, fully satisfactory theory to explain the underlying mechanisms, as factors like metabolic efficiency and the specific thermal adaptations of a species also play significant roles.3