Clade-Specific Allometries in Avian Basal Metabolic Rate Demand a Broader Theory of Allometry

Giancarli, Samantha Mary; Dunham, Arthur E.; O’Connor, Michael

doi:10.1086/725207

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 119 publications

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“…This is especially true for the body-mass scaling of metabolic rate, where b varies considerably from near 0 to >1, both within and across species and clades [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Evidence has been steadily growing that metabolic scaling exponents are phenotypically plastic and evolutionarily malleable and not the simple result of physical constraints (e.g., [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]). This does not mean that physical constraints, such as those related to surface area/volume ratios, branching resource-transport networks, and finite space and time limits, play no role at all in biological scaling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling

Glazier

2023

Biology

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Various phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These “biological scaling” relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible causes of the body-mass scaling of the rates/durations of various biological processes and life-history events, i.e., the “pace of life”. Many biologists have regarded the rate of metabolism or energy use as the master driver of the “pace of life” and its scaling with body size. Although this “energy perspective” has provided valuable insight, here I argue that a “time perspective” may be equally or even more important. I evaluate various major ways that time may be relevant in biological scaling, including as (1) an independent “fourth dimension” in biological dimensional analyses, (2) a universal “biological clock” that synchronizes various biological rates/durations, (3) a scaling method that uses various biological time periods (allochrony) as scaling metrics, rather than various measures of physical size (allometry), as traditionally performed, (4) an ultimate body-size-related constraint on the rates/timing of biological processes/events that is set by the inevitability of death, and (5) a geological “deep time” approach for viewing the evolution of biological scaling patterns. Although previously proposed universal four-dimensional space-time and “biological clock” views of biological scaling are problematic, novel approaches using allochronic analyses and time perspectives based on size-related rates of individual mortality and species origination/extinction may provide new valuable insights.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling

Glazier

2023

Biology

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“…behaviour and extrinsic factors (e.g. [255,256]) body size and taxonomic affinity variable related to differences in physiological/ecological lifestyle that are described below [1,9,20,23,25,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] body size and cell size or cellular mode of growth variable mass-scaling of metabolism depends on cell size and the cellular mode of growth (i.e. cell enlargement versus multiplication, which affects metabolically relevant cellular surface area to body volume ratios) [24,32,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42] body size and genome size variable mass-scaling of metabolism relates to genome size, presumably because of its association with cell size (see above) [32,41] body size and genotype variable mass-scaling of metabolism differs between genotypes for unknown reasons [43][44][45][46][47] body size and gender size variable mass-scaling of metabolism differs between males and females often for unknown reasons.…”

Section: Interactive Effects Of Intrinsic Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To explain these effects, multi-mechanistic models that embrace various contingent effects should receive increased attention, as has been promoted by several investigators with respect to the diversity of metabolic rate and its scaling with body size (e.g. [1,8,9,27,34,[253][254][255][256]).…”

Section: Theoretical and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on metabolic rate

Glazier,

Gjoni

2024

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Metabolism energizes all biological processes, and its tempo may importantly influence the ecological success and evolutionary fitness of organisms. Therefore, understanding the broad variation in metabolic rate that exists across the living world is a fundamental challenge in biology. To further the development of a more reliable and holistic picture of the causes of this variation, we review several examples of how various intrinsic (biological) and extrinsic (environmental) factors (including body size, cell size, activity level, temperature, predation and other diverse genetic, cellular, morphological, physiological, behavioural and ecological influences) can interactively affect metabolic rate in synergistic or antagonistic ways. Most of the interactive effects that have been documented involve body size, temperature or both, but future research may reveal additional ‘hub factors’. Our review highlights the complex, intimate inter-relationships between physiology and ecology, knowledge of which can shed light on various problems in both disciplines, including variation in physiological adaptations, life histories, ecological niches and various organism-environment interactions in ecosystems. We also discuss theoretical and practical implications of interactive effects on metabolic rate and provide suggestions for future research, including holistic system analyses at various hierarchical levels of organization that focus on interactive proximate (functional) and ultimate (evolutionary) causal networks. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates’.

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“…The wide distribution suggests a role for local adaptation and/or phenotypic flexibility for population persistence in different climates (Charles Kendeigh & Blem, 1974; Piersma & Drent, 2003). For instance, while interspecific studies have shown that differences in metabolic rates between species are largely because of differences in body mass, reflecting either local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, functional explanations for this scaling remain controversial (Giancarli et al, 2023; White et al, 2019). In line with the ‘food‐habitat’ hypothesis (Thompson, 1992), interspecific studies often document strong correlations between diet and metabolism, such as the finding that species feeding on a combination of insects with seeds and fruits typically have higher metabolic rates (McNab, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolic adjustments to winter severity in two geographically separated great tit (Parus major) populations

Pacioni,

Bushuev,

Sentís

et al. 2024

J Exp Zool Pt A

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Understanding the potential limits placed on organisms by their ecophysiology is crucial for predicting their responses to varying environmental conditions. A main hypothesis for explaining avian thermoregulatory mechanisms is the aerobic capacity model, which posits a positive correlation between basal (basal metabolic rate [BMR]) and summit (Msum) metabolism. Most evidence for this hypothesis, however, comes from interspecific comparisons, and the ecophysiological underpinnings of avian thermoregulatory capacities hence remain controversial. Indeed, studies have traditionally relied on between‐species comparisons, although, recently, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of intraspecific variation in ecophysiological responses. Therefore, here, we focused on great tits (Parus major), measuring BMR and Msum during winter in two populations from two different climates: maritime‐temperate (Gontrode, Belgium) and continental (Zvenigorod, Russia). We tested for the presence of intraspecific geographical variation in metabolic rates and assessed the predictions following the aerobic capacity model. We found that birds from the maritime‐temperate climate (Gontrode) showed higher BMR, whereas conversely, great tits from Zvenigorod showed higher levels of Msum. Within each population, our data did not fully support the aerobic capacity model's predictions. We argued that the decoupling of BMR and Msum observed may be caused by different selective forces acting on these metabolic rates, with birds from the continental‐climate Zvenigorod population facing the need to conserve energy for surviving long winter nights (by keeping their BMR at low levels) while simultaneously being able to generate more heat (i.e., a high Msum) to withstand cold spells.

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Clade-Specific Allometries in Avian Basal Metabolic Rate Demand a Broader Theory of Allometry

Cited by 10 publications

References 119 publications

The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling

The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling

Interactive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on metabolic rate

Metabolic adjustments to winter severity in two geographically separated great tit (Parus major) populations

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