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Glazier DS, Gjoni V. Interactive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on metabolic rate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220489. [PMID: 38186280 PMCID: PMC10772614 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vojsava Gjoni
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57609, USA
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Kraskura K, Hardison EA, Eliason EJ. Body size and temperature affect metabolic and cardiac thermal tolerance in fish. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17900. [PMID: 37857749 PMCID: PMC10587238 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44574-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental warming is associated with reductions in ectotherm body sizes, suggesting that larger individuals may be more vulnerable to climate change. The mechanisms driving size-specific vulnerability to temperature are unknown but are required to finetune predictions of fisheries productivity and size-structure community responses to climate change. We explored the potential metabolic and cardiac mechanisms underlying these body size vulnerability trends in a eurythermal fish, barred surfperch. We acutely exposed surfperch across a large size range (5-700 g) to four ecologically relevant temperatures (16 °C, 12 °C, 20 °C, and 22 °C) and subsequently, measured their metabolic capacity (absolute and factorial aerobic scopes, maximum and resting metabolic rates; AAS, FAS, MMR, RMR). Additionally, we estimated the fish's cardiac thermal tolerance by measuring their maximum heart rates (fHmax) across acutely increasing temperatures. Barred surfperch had parallel hypoallometric scaling of MMR and RMR (exponent 0.81) and a weaker hypoallometric scaling of fHmax (exponent - 0.05) across all test temperatures. In contrast to our predictions, the fish's aerobic capacity was maintained across sizes and acute temperatures, and larger fish had greater cardiac thermal tolerance than smaller fish. These results demonstrate that thermal performance may be limited by different physiological constraints depending on the size of the animal and species of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Kraskura
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Emily A Hardison
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Erika J Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
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Yoon GR, Thorstensen MJ, Bugg WS, Bouyoucos IA, Deslauriers D, Anderson WG. Comparison of metabolic rate between two genetically distinct populations of lake sturgeon. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10470. [PMID: 37664502 PMCID: PMC10468615 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental temperatures differ across latitudes in the temperate zone, with relatively lower summer and fall temperatures in the north leading to a shorter growing season prior to winter. As an adaptive response, during early life stages, fish in northern latitudes may grow faster than their conspecifics in southern latitudes, which potentially manifests as different allometric relationships between body mass and metabolic rate. In the present study, we examined if population or year class had an effect on the variation of metabolic rate and metabolic scaling of age-0 lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) by examining these traits in both a northern (Nelson River) and a southern (Winnipeg River) population. We compiled 6 years of data that used intermittent flow respirometry to measure metabolic rate within the first year of life for developing sturgeon that were raised in the same environment at 16°C. We then used a Bayesian modeling approach to examine the impacts of population and year class on metabolic rate and mass-scaling of metabolic rate. Despite previous reports of genetic differences between populations, our results showed that there were no significant differences in standard metabolic rate, routine metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate, and metabolic scaling between the two geographically separated populations at a temperature of 16°C. Our analysis implied that the lack of metabolic differences between populations could be due to family effects/parental contribution, or the rearing temperature used in the study. The present research provided insights for conservation and reintroduction strategies for these populations of lake sturgeon, which are endangered or threatened across most of their natural range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwangseok R. Yoon
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto ScarboroughTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Matt J. Thorstensen
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - William S. Bugg
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
- Pacific Salmon FoundationVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Ian A. Bouyoucos
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - David Deslauriers
- Institut des sciences de la mer de RimouskiUniversité du Québec à RimouskiRimouskiQuébecCanada
| | - W. Gary Anderson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
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Glazier DS. The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1084. [PMID: 37626969 PMCID: PMC10452035 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
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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Somo DA, Chu K, Richards JG. Gill surface area allometry does not constrain the body mass scaling of maximum oxygen uptake rate in the tidepool sculpin, Oligocottus maculosus. J Comp Physiol B 2023:10.1007/s00360-023-01490-9. [PMID: 37149515 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01490-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The gill oxygen limitation hypothesis (GOLH) suggests that hypometric scaling of metabolic rate in fishes is a consequence of oxygen supply constraints imposed by the mismatched growth rates of gill surface area (a two-dimensional surface) and body mass (a three-dimensional volume). GOLH may, therefore, explain the size-dependent spatial distribution of fish in temperature- and oxygen-variable environments through size-dependent respiratory capacity, but this question is unstudied. We tested GOLH in the tidepool sculpin, Oligocottus maculosus, a species in which body mass decreases with increasing temperature- and oxygen-variability in the intertidal, a pattern consistent with GOLH. We statistically evaluated support for GOLH versus distributed control of [Formula: see text] allometry by comparing scaling coefficients for gill surface area, standard and maximum [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text],Standard and [Formula: see text],Max, respectively), ventricle mass, hematocrit, and metabolic enzyme activities in white muscle. To empirically evaluate whether there is a proximate constraint on oxygen supply capacity with increasing body mass, we measured [Formula: see text],Max across a range of Po2s from normoxia to Pcrit, calculated the regulation value (R), a measure of oxyregulatory capacity, and analyzed the R-body mass relationship. In contrast with GOLH, gill surface area scaling either matched or was more than sufficient to meet [Formula: see text] demands with increasing body mass and R did not change with body mass. Ventricle mass (b = 1.22) scaled similarly to [Formula: see text],Max (b = 1.18) suggesting a possible role for the heart in the scaling of [Formula: see text],Max. Together our results do not support GOLH as a mechanism structuring the distribution of O. maculosus and suggest distributed control of oxyregulatory capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Somo
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Ken Chu
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jeffrey G Richards
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Harrison JF, Biewener A, Bernhardt JR, Burger JR, Brown JH, Coto ZN, Duell ME, Lynch M, Moffett ER, Norin T, Pettersen AK, Smith FA, Somjee U, Traniello JFA, Williams TM. White Paper: An Integrated Perspective on the Causes of Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac136. [PMID: 35933126 PMCID: PMC9724154 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Larger animals studied during ontogeny, across populations, or across species, usually have lower mass-specific metabolic rates than smaller animals (hypometric scaling). This pattern is usually observed regardless of physiological state (e.g. basal, resting, field, maximally-active). The scaling of metabolism is usually highly correlated with the scaling of many life history traits, behaviors, physiological variables, and cellular/molecular properties, making determination of the causation of this pattern challenging. For across-species comparisons of resting and locomoting animals (but less so for across populations or during ontogeny), the mechanisms at the physiological and cellular level are becoming clear. Lower mass-specific metabolic rates of larger species at rest are due to a) lower contents of expensive tissues (brains, liver, kidneys), and b) slower ion leak across membranes at least partially due to membrane composition, with lower ion pump ATPase activities. Lower mass-specific costs of larger species during locomotion are due to lower costs for lower-frequency muscle activity, with slower myosin and Ca++ ATPase activities, and likely more elastic energy storage. The evolutionary explanation(s) for hypometric scaling remain(s) highly controversial. One subset of evolutionary hypotheses relies on constraints on larger animals due to changes in geometry with size; for example, lower surface-to-volume ratios of exchange surfaces may constrain nutrient or heat exchange, or lower cross-sectional areas of muscles and tendons relative to body mass ratios would make larger animals more fragile without compensation. Another subset of hypotheses suggests that hypometric scaling arises from biotic interactions and correlated selection, with larger animals experiencing less selection for mass-specific growth or neurolocomotor performance. A additional third type of explanation comes from population genetics. Larger animals with their lower effective population sizes and subsequent less effective selection relative to drift may have more deleterious mutations, reducing maximal performance and metabolic rates. Resolving the evolutionary explanation for the hypometric scaling of metabolism and associated variables is a major challenge for organismal and evolutionary biology. To aid progress, we identify some variation in terminology use that has impeded cross-field conversations on scaling. We also suggest that promising directions for the field to move forward include: 1) studies examining the linkages between ontogenetic, population-level, and cross-species allometries, 2) studies linking scaling to ecological or phylogenetic context, 3) studies that consider multiple, possibly interacting hypotheses, and 4) obtaining better field data for metabolic rates and the life history correlates of metabolic rate such as lifespan, growth rate and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon F Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Andrew Biewener
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Joanna R Bernhardt
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Joseph R Burger
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
| | - James H Brown
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Zach N Coto
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Meghan E Duell
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Michael Lynch
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Emma R Moffett
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua | National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1 Bygning 101A, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Amanda K Pettersen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Felisa A Smith
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Ummat Somjee
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - Terrie M Williams
- Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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Glazier DS. How Metabolic Rate Relates to Cell Size. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:1106. [PMID: 35892962 PMCID: PMC9332559 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic rate and its covariation with body mass vary substantially within and among species in little understood ways. Here, I critically review explanations (and supporting data) concerning how cell size and number and their establishment by cell expansion and multiplication may affect metabolic rate and its scaling with body mass. Cell size and growth may affect size-specific metabolic rate, as well as the vertical elevation (metabolic level) and slope (exponent) of metabolic scaling relationships. Mechanistic causes of negative correlations between cell size and metabolic rate may involve reduced resource supply and/or demand in larger cells, related to decreased surface area per volume, larger intracellular resource-transport distances, lower metabolic costs of ionic regulation, slower cell multiplication and somatic growth, and larger intracellular deposits of metabolically inert materials in some tissues. A cell-size perspective helps to explain some (but not all) variation in metabolic rate and its body-mass scaling and thus should be included in any multi-mechanistic theory attempting to explain the full diversity of metabolic scaling. A cell-size approach may also help conceptually integrate studies of the biological regulation of cellular growth and metabolism with those concerning major transitions in ontogenetic development and associated shifts in metabolic scaling.
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