A broad-scale comparison of aerobic activity levels in vertebrates: endotherms versus ectotherms

Differences in the limits and range of aerobic activity levels between endotherms and ectotherms remain poorly understood, though such differences help explain basic differences in species' lifestyles (e.g. movement patterns, feeding modes, and interaction rates). We compare the limits and rang...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2017-02, Vol.284 (1849), p.20162328-20162328
Main Authors: Gillooly, James F., Gomez, Juan Pablo, Mavrodiev, Evgeny V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerobiosis
Amphibians
Amphibians - metabolism
Animals
Birds
Birds - metabolism
Body mass
Ecology
Feeding behavior
Fishes - metabolism
Mammals - metabolism
Max
Metabolic Rate
Metabolic Theory
Oxygen Consumption
Phylogeny
Physical growth
Reptiles
Reptiles & amphibians
Reptiles - metabolism
Respiration
Scaling
Vertebrates
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Summary:Differences in the limits and range of aerobic activity levels between endotherms and ectotherms remain poorly understood, though such differences help explain basic differences in species' lifestyles (e.g. movement patterns, feeding modes, and interaction rates). We compare the limits and range of aerobic activity in endotherms (birds and mammals) and ectotherms (fishes, reptiles, and amphibians) by evaluating the body mass-dependence of VO2 max, aerobic scope, and heart mass in a phylogenetic context based on a newly constructed vertebrate supertree. Contrary to previous work, results show no significant differences in the body mass scaling of minimum and maximum oxygen consumption rates with body mass within endotherms or ectotherms. For a given body mass, resting rates and maximum rates were 24-fold and 30-fold lower, respectively, in ectotherms than endotherms. Factorial aerobic scope ranged from five to eight in both groups, with scope in endotherms showing a modest body mass-dependence. Finally, maximum consumption rates and aerobic scope were positively correlated with residual heart mass. Together, these results quantify similarities and differences in the potential for aerobic activity among ectotherms and endotherms from diverse environments. They provide insights into the models and mechanisms that may underlie the body mass-dependence of oxygen consumption.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2016.2328