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Rimbach R, Amireh A, Allen A, Hare B, Guarino E, Kaufman C, Salomons H, Pontzer H. Total energy expenditure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of different ages. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271194. [PMID: 34350948 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Marine mammals are thought to have an energetically expensive lifestyle because endothermy is costly in marine environments. However, measurements of total energy expenditure (TEE; kcal day-1) are available only for a limited number of marine mammals, because large body size and inaccessible habitats make TEE measurements expensive and difficult to obtain for many taxa. We measured TEE in 10 adult common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in natural seawater lagoons at two facilities (Dolphin Research Center and Dolphin Quest) using the doubly labeled water method. We assessed the relative effects of body mass, age and physical activity on TEE. We also examined whether TEE of bottlenose dolphins, and more generally of marine mammals, differs from that expected for their body mass compared with other eutherian mammals, using phylogenetic least squares (PGLS) regressions. There were no differences in body mass or TEE (unadjusted TEE and TEE adjusted for fat-free mass) between dolphins from the two facilities. Our results show that adjusted TEE decreased and fat mass increased with age. Different measures of activity were not related to age, body fat or adjusted TEE. Both PGLS and the non-phylogenetic linear regression indicate that marine mammals have an elevated TEE compared with that of terrestrial mammals. However, bottlenose dolphins expended 17.1% less energy than other marine mammals of similar body mass. The two oldest dolphins (>40 years) showed a lower TEE, similar to the decline in TEE seen in older humans. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show an age-related metabolic decline in a large non-human mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rimbach
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Ahmad Amireh
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Austin Allen
- Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Brian Hare
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Chana Kaufman
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Hannah Salomons
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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The energy allocation trade-offs underlying life history traits in hypometabolic strepsirhines and other primates. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14196. [PMID: 34244546 PMCID: PMC8270931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93764-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Life history, brain size and energy expenditure scale with body mass in mammals but there is little conclusive evidence for a correlated evolution between life history and energy expenditure (either basal/resting or daily) independent of body mass. We addressed this question by examining the relationship between primate free-living daily energy expenditure (DEE) measured by doubly labeled water method (n = 18 species), life history variables (maximum lifespan, gestation and lactation duration, interbirth interval, litter mass, age at first reproduction), resting metabolic rate (RMR) and brain size. We also analyzed whether the hypometabolic primates of Madagascar (lemurs) make distinct energy allocation tradeoffs compared to other primates (monkeys and apes) with different life history traits and ecological constraints. None of the life-history traits correlated with DEE after controlling for body mass and phylogeny. In contrast, a regression model showed that DEE increased with increasing RMR and decreasing reproductive output (i.e., litter mass/interbirth interval) independent of body mass. Despite their low RMR and smaller brains, lemurs had an average DEE remarkably similar to that of haplorhines. The data suggest that lemurs have evolved energy strategies that maximize energy investment to survive in the unusually harsh and unpredictable environments of Madagascar at the expense of reproduction.
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Mathewson PD, Porter WP, Barrett L, Fuller A, Henzi SP, Hetem RS, Young C, McFarland R. Field data confirm the ability of a biophysical model to predict wild primate body temperature. J Therm Biol 2020; 94:102754. [PMID: 33292995 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the face of climate change there is an urgent need to understand how animal performance is affected by environmental conditions. Biophysical models that use principles of heat and mass transfer can be used to explore how an animal's morphology, physiology, and behavior interact with its environment in terms of energy, mass and water balances to affect fitness and performance. We used Niche Mapper™ (NM) to build a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) biophysical model and tested the model's ability to predict core body temperature (Tb) variation and thermal stress against Tb and behavioral data collected from wild vervets in South Africa. The mean observed Tb in both males and females was within 0.5 °C of NM's predicted Tbs for 91% of hours over the five-year study period. This is the first time that NM's Tb predictions have been validated against field data from a wild endotherm. Overall, these results provide confidence that NM can accurately predict thermal stress and can be used to provide insight into the thermoregulatory consequences of morphological (e.g., body size, shape, fur depth), physiological (e.g. Tb plasticity) and behavioral (e.g., huddling, resting, shade seeking) adaptations. Such an approach allows users to test hypotheses about how animals adapt to thermoregulatory challenges and make informed predictions about potential responses to environmental change such as climate change or habitat conversion. Importantly, NM's animal submodel is a general model that can be adapted to other species, requiring only basic information on an animal's morphology, physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Mathewson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
| | - Warren P Porter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Louise Barrett
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Canada; Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - Andrea Fuller
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - S Peter Henzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Canada; Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - Robyn S Hetem
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - Christopher Young
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Canada; Applied Behavioural Ecology & Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, South Africa; Endocrine Research Laboratory, Mammal Research Institute, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Richard McFarland
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA; Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
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Soligo C, Smaers JB. Contextualising primate origins--an ecomorphological framework. J Anat 2016; 228:608-29. [PMID: 26830706 PMCID: PMC4804135 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecomorphology - the characterisation of the adaptive relationship between an organism's morphology and its ecological role - has long been central to theories of the origin and early evolution of the primate order. This is exemplified by two of the most influential theories of primate origins: Matt Cartmill's Visual Predation Hypothesis, and Bob Sussman's Angiosperm Co-Evolution Hypothesis. However, the study of primate origins is constrained by the absence of data directly documenting the events under investigation, and has to rely instead on a fragmentary fossil record and the methodological assumptions inherent in phylogenetic comparative analyses of extant species. These constraints introduce particular challenges for inferring the ecomorphology of primate origins, as morphology and environmental context must first be inferred before the relationship between the two can be considered. Fossils can be integrated in comparative analyses and observations of extant model species and laboratory experiments of form-function relationships are critical for the functional interpretation of the morphology of extinct species. Recent developments have led to important advancements, including phylogenetic comparative methods based on more realistic models of evolution, and improved methods for the inference of clade divergence times, as well as an improved fossil record. This contribution will review current perspectives on the origin and early evolution of primates, paying particular attention to their phylogenetic (including cladistic relationships and character evolution) and environmental (including chronology, geography, and physical environments) contextualisation, before attempting an up-to-date ecomorphological synthesis of primate origins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Pattinson CL, Allan AC, Staton SL, Thorpe KJ, Smith SS. Environmental Light Exposure Is Associated with Increased Body Mass in Children. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0143578. [PMID: 26735299 PMCID: PMC4711797 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing, intensity, and duration of exposure to both artificial and natural light have acute metabolic and physiological effects in mammals. Recent research in human adults suggests exposure to moderate intensity light later in the day is concurrently associated with increased body mass; however, no studies have investigated the effect of light exposure on body mass in young children. We examined objectively measured light exposure and body mass of 48 preschool-aged children at baseline, and measured their body mass again 12 months later. At baseline, moderate intensity light exposure earlier in the day was associated with increased body mass index (BMI). Increased duration of light exposure at baseline predicted increased BMI 12-months later, even after controlling for baseline sleep duration, sleep timing, BMI, and activity. The findings identify that light exposure may be a contributor to the obesogenic environment during early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra L. Pattinson
- Centre for Children’s Health Research, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alicia C. Allan
- Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sally L. Staton
- Centre for Children’s Health Research, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karen J. Thorpe
- Centre for Children’s Health Research, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
| | - Simon S. Smith
- Centre for Children’s Health Research, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Pontzer
- Hunter College, City University of New York, and New York Consortium for Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10065;
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Pichon C, Simmen B. Energy management in crowned sifakas (Propithecus coronatus) and the timing of reproduction in a seasonal environment. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 158:269-278. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claire Pichon
- UMR 7206, Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle; 4 avenue du Petit Château Brunoy 91800 France
| | - Bruno Simmen
- UMR 7206, Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle; 4 avenue du Petit Château Brunoy 91800 France
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