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Temperature is one of the most important environmental variables in the life of organisms. It shapes physiology, life history, ecology, and community structure. This chapter explores how temperature affects plasticity -the ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes when exposed to different environments, a ubiquitous phenomenon. We start by discussing the thermal performance curve, which has been used extensively to describe organismal performance in relation to temperature, and acknowledge the practical issues that should not be ignored when thinking about (and using) thermal performance curves. We then summarize the cellular processes that are involved in coping with thermal stress and help determine critical thermal extremes, including the rate of biochemical reactions, the integrity of macromolecular structures, and the solubility of small molecules. Special cases of plasticity, such as …