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Starostová Z, Píchová V, Bauerová A, Kubička L, Kratochvíl L. Catch-up growth and overweight adults in the offspring of young gecko mothers resembling low birth weight infants. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230452. [PMID: 38228187 PMCID: PMC10791515 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0452] [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: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Endothermic and ectothermic amniotes differ in the timing of reproductive onset, with reptiles initiating reproduction before reaching final body size. Long-term consequences of maternal effect for early reptile offspring are poorly explored. We conducted growth experiments to compare the growth of offspring produced by young and older females of gecko Paroedura picta. Young, not fully grown females lay smaller eggs leading to production of smaller offspring. These offspring undergo accelerated growth and ultimately reach a comparable sex-specific final body length as do offspring of older females. Final body length is thus canalized with respect to the maternal effect on egg size. Notably, the offspring of young mothers have a tendency towards larger body mass. Ontogeny of the offspring of young females shares similarities with that of mammalian offspring with low birth weight or early malnutrition, exhibiting catch-up growth and a predisposition to obesity. We highlight the important consequences of early reproduction for offspring in animals that initiate reproduction prior to reaching final body size. Both life-history models and conservation practices should take into account that female lizards might produce the most fit offspring only between reaching their final body length and the onset of reproductive senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Starostová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Píchová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Bauerová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kubička
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
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White CR, Marshall DJ. How and Why Does Metabolism Scale with Body Mass? Physiology (Bethesda) 2023; 38:0. [PMID: 37698354 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00015.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Most explanations for the relationship between body size and metabolism invoke physical constraints; such explanations are evolutionarily inert, limiting their predictive capacity. Contemporary approaches to metabolic rate and life history lack the pluralism of foundational work. Here, we call for reforging of the lost links between optimization approaches and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R White
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dustin J Marshall
- School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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Sentís M, Pacioni C, De Cuyper A, Janssens GP, Lens L, Strubbe D. Biophysical models accurately characterize the thermal energetics of a small invasive passerine bird. iScience 2023; 26:107743. [PMID: 37720095 PMCID: PMC10504485 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective management of invasive species requires accurate predictions of their invasion potential in different environments. By considering species' physiological tolerances and requirements, biophysical mechanistic models can potentially deliver accurate predictions of where introduced species are likely to establish. Here, we evaluate biophysical model predictions of energy use by comparing them to experimentally obtained energy expenditure (EE) and thermoneutral zones (TNZs) for the common waxbill Estrilda astrild, a small-bodied avian invader. We show that biophysical models accurately predict TNZ and EE and that they perform better than traditional time-energy budget methods. Sensitivity analyses indicate that body temperature, metabolic rate, and feather characteristics were the most influential traits affecting model accuracy. This evaluation of common waxbill energetics represents a crucial step toward improved parameterization of biophysical models, eventually enabling accurate predictions of invasion risk for small (sub)tropical passerines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Sentís
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Cesare Pacioni
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annelies De Cuyper
- Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Geert P.J. Janssens
- Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Diederik Strubbe
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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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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Gavrilov VM, Golubeva TB, Bushuev AV. Metabolic rate, sleep duration, and body temperature in evolution of mammals and birds: the influence of geological time of principal groups divergence. Zookeys 2023; 1148:1-27. [DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1148.93458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
This study contains an analysis of basal metabolic rate (BMR) in 1817 endothermic species. The aim was to establish how metabolic scaling varies between the main groups of endotherms during evolution. The data for all the considered groups were combined and the common exponent in the allometric relationship between the BMR and body weight was established as b = 0.7248. Reduced to the common slope, the relative metabolic rate forms the following series: Neognathae – Passeriformes – 1.00, Neognathae – Non-Passeriformes – 0.75, Palaeognathae – 0.53, Eutheria – 0.57, Marsupialia – 0.44, and Monotremata – 0.26. The main finding is that the metabolic rate in the six main groups of mammals and birds consistently increases as the geological time of the group’s divergence approaches the present. In parallel, the average body temperature in the group rises, the duration of sleep decreases and the duration of activity increases. BMR in a taxon correlates with its evolutionary age: the later a clade diverged, the higher is its metabolic rate and the longer is its activity period; group exponents decrease as group divergence nears present times while with increase metabolic rate during activity, they not only do not decrease but can increase. Sleep duration in mammals was on average 40% longer than in birds while BMR, in contrast, was 40% higher in birds. The evolution of metabolic scaling, body temperature, sleep duration, and activity during the development of endothermic life forms is demonstrated, allowing for a better understanding of the underlying principles of endothermy formation.
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Glazier DS. Variable metabolic scaling breaks the law: from 'Newtonian' to 'Darwinian' approaches. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221605. [PMID: 36259209 PMCID: PMC9579773 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Life's size and tempo are intimately linked. The rate of metabolism varies with body mass in remarkably regular ways that can often be described by a simple power function, where the scaling exponent (b, slope in a log-linear plot) is typically less than 1. Traditional theory based on physical constraints has assumed that b is 2/3 or 3/4, following natural law, but hundreds of studies have documented extensive, systematic variation in b. This overwhelming, law-breaking, empirical evidence is causing a paradigm shift in metabolic scaling theory and methodology from ‘Newtonian’ to ‘Darwinian’ approaches. A new wave of studies focuses on the adaptable regulation and evolution of metabolic scaling, as influenced by diverse intrinsic and extrinsic factors, according to multiple context-dependent mechanisms, and within boundary limits set by physical constraints.
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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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Metabolic Scaling in Birds and Mammals: How Taxon Divergence Time, Phylogeny, and Metabolic Rate Affect the Relationship between Scaling Exponents and Intercepts. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11071067. [PMID: 36101445 PMCID: PMC9312277 DOI: 10.3390/biology11071067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary This study is based on a large dataset and re-evaluates data on the metabolic rate, providing new insights into the similarities and differences across different groups of birds and mammals. We compared six taxonomic groups of mammals and birds according to their energetic characteristics and the geological time of evolutionary origin. The overall metabolic rate of a taxonomic group increases with the geological time of evolutionary origin. The terrestrial mammals and flightless birds have almost equal metabolic levels. The higher the metabolic rate in a group, the less it increases within increasing body size in this group. Abstract Analysis of metabolic scaling in currently living endothermic animal species allowed us to show how the relationship between body mass and the basal metabolic rate (BMR) has evolved in the history of endothermic vertebrates. We compared six taxonomic groups according to their energetic characteristics and the time of evolutionary divergence. We transformed the slope of the regression lines to the common value and analyzed three criteria for comparing BMR of different taxa regardless of body size. Correlation between average field metabolic rate (FMR) of the group and its average BMR was shown. We evaluated the efficiency of self-maintenance in ordinary life (defined BMR/FMR) in six main groups of endotherms. Our study has shown that metabolic scaling in the main groups of endothermic animals correlates with their evolutionary age: the younger the group, the higher the metabolic rate, but the rate increases more slowly with increasing body weight. We found negative linear relationship for scaling exponents and the allometric coefficient in five groups of endotherms: in units of mL O2/h per g, in relative units of allometric coefficients, and also in level or scaling elevation. Mammals that diverged from the main vertebrate stem earlier have a higher “b” exponent than later divergent birds. A new approach using three criteria for comparing BMR of different taxa regardless of body mass will be useful for many biological size-scaling relationships that follow the power function.
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