Article
Biology
Nicole E. Schwartz, Monica P. McNamara, Jocelyn M. Orozco, Jaanam O. Rashid, Angie P. Thai, Theodore Garland
Summary: Selective breeding for behavioral traits can result in significant behavioral changes without proportional modifications to underlying morphological or physiological traits.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Krzysztof S. Malinowski, Tomasz H. Wierzba, J. Patrick Neary, Pawel J. Winklewski, Magdalena Wszedybyl-Winklewska
Summary: The diving reflex is a complex cardiovascular response that allows mammals to survive underwater. Research shows that this response is related to heart rate variability and can vary between individuals. Gender may also play a role in the cardiac response to diving and its relationship with resting heart rate variability.
Article
Biology
Tomer Urca, Eran Levin, Gal Ribak
Summary: The study successfully measured the flight metabolic rate of insects using the "isotopic C-13 Na-bicarbonate" method, achieving a 90% accuracy compared to respirometry. The method can measure MR during free flight and tethered flight, and demonstrates the ability to repeatedly use the technique on the same individual.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Alicia Borque-Espinosa, Karyn D. Rode, Diana Ferrero-Fernandez, Anabel Forte, Romana Capaccioni-Azzati, Andreas Fahlman
Summary: The study found that walruses minimize their metabolic rates during underwater behaviors to reduce energy investment. Metabolic rates measured during the study period showed that there was little difference in metabolic rates for walruses at the water surface, during stationary dives, and while swimming underwater.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Krista N. Oswald, Alan T. K. Lee, Ben Smit
Summary: In the study of Cape rockjumpers, a mountain-dwelling bird species, it was found that they exhibit lower BMR and thermal conductance, as well as higher maximum thermogenic capacity and body condition in winter compared to summer. These physiological adaptations allow them to conserve energy during the winter months while still being able to generate metabolic heat in cold temperatures. The differences in metabolic responses between seasons may be influenced by their mountain habitat specialization and their phylogenetic placement within the passerine group.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Nadine Godsman, Michael Kohlhaas, Alexander Nickel, Lesley Cheyne, Marco Mingarelli, Lutz Schweiger, Claire Hepburn, Chantal Munts, Andy Welch, Mirela Delibegovic, Marc Van Bilsen, Christoph Maack, Dana K. Dawson
Summary: This study investigates the specific metabolic adaptations in takotsubo patients and their implications for future therapies. The study reveals dysregulation of glucose and lipid metabolic pathways, impaired Ca2+ handling, inflammation, and upregulation of remodeling pathways in the hearts of takotsubo patients. However, the integrity of both mitochondria and cardiomyocytes is preserved.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luke Storrie, Nigel E. Hussey, Shannon A. MacPhee, Greg O'Corry-Crowe, John Iacozza, David G. Barber, Alex Nunes, Lisa L. Loseto
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive description of the year-round dive structures of Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales. It reveals seasonal variations in behavior and shifts in foraging strategies. The findings suggest that foraging in shallow waters during winter may be energetically cheaper but less rewarding, whereas deeper diving during summer exceeds the aerobic dive limit previously calculated for this population.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
XuanYuan Yujie, Ran Chen, Jieheng Xu, Jiacheng Zhou, Ming Li, Jinsong Liu
Summary: Temperature and other environmental factors are important for metabolic adjustments and adaptions in animals. The Chinese Hwamei can make physiological and biochemical adjustments to adapt to seasonal and temperature changes. The metabolic adjustments are crucial for small birds to cope with cold conditions.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
J. M. A. Alcantara, J. E. Galgani, L. Jurado-Fasoli, M. Dote-Montero, E. Merchan-Ramirez, E. Ravussin, J. R. Ruiz, G. Sanchez-Delgado
Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy and precision of four commercially available metabolic carts in measuring RMR and RER, finding that the Omnical had the lowest measurement error. The results showed discordant estimations of RMR and RER among the four metabolic carts, and the ICcE procedure did not improve measurement concordance.
CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Mathieu Videlier, Howard D. Rundle, Vincent Careau
Summary: The genetic architecture of maintenance metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster was studied, revealing differences between sexes primarily in genetic variance in locomotor activity. However, overall genetic variation was found to be mostly shared between males and females, potentially leading to intralocus sexual conflict in the face of sexually antagonistic selection.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Ayaka Saito, Chihiro Kinoshita, Megumi Kawai, Takuya Fukuoka, Katsufumi Sato, Kentaro Q. Sakamoto
Summary: This study found that heart rate reduction in sea turtles during diving is primarily mediated by the parasympathetic nervous system, similar to mammals and birds.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Psychology, Biological
Stefan Peter Ackermann, Markus Raab, Serena Backschat, David John Charles Smith, Florian Javelle, Sylvain Laborde
Summary: This study aimed to synthesize and analyze the effects of different triggers of the diving response on cardiac vagal activity using a meta-analytic approach. A total of 17 studies with 311 participants were included in the review. The results showed a significant positive effect on RMSSD during exposure to triggers, but not post-exposure. Total body immersion had a larger effect compared to forehead cooling. Further research is needed to explore the role of cardiac sympathetic activity and other moderators.
Article
Biology
Kagari Aoki, Yurie Watanabe, Daiki Inamori, Noriko Funasaka, Kentaro Q. Sakamoto
Summary: Monitoring heart rate in free-ranging cetaceans using a non-invasive method proved successful, with observations of consistent heart rate patterns in Risso's dolphins and false killer whales, indicating potential for further understanding diving physiology of these animals.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Dunja Aksentijevic, Michael J. Shattock
Summary: Elevated intracellular sodium and metabolic impairment are common features of heart failure. Studies have shown that sodium elevation affects mitochondrial function, providing important insights into the pathophysiology of heart failure and potential treatment strategies.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Annalisa Di Giacomo, Giovanna Maria Ghiani, Francesco Todde, Filippo Tocco
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate hemodynamic changes during simultaneous activation of muscle metaboreflex (MM) and diving reflex (DR) in a laboratory setting. Results showed that the diving reflex can override the muscle metaboreflex in causing significant alterations in heart rate and cardiac output.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Louise S. Norgaard, Mariana Alvarez-Noriega, Elizabeth McGraw, Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: The distribution and abundance of disease vectors like mosquitoes are changing due to factors such as climate change, invasions, and vector control strategies. Most models currently ignore the nonlinear relationship between wing length and reproduction in mosquitoes, leading to potential biases in population growth estimates. Incorporating hyperallometric relationships in future disease vector models is crucial for accurately predicting changes in mosquito distribution.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Rodolfo O. Anderson, Craig R. White, David G. Chapple, Michael R. Kearney
Summary: This study examines the relationship between physiological traits in lizards and environmental conditions across different spatial scales and finds that microclimatic and biophysical predictors are more explanatory than macroclimatic predictors for most traits. It discovered that standard metabolic rate is negatively related to maximum temperatures while field metabolic rate is positively related to minimum temperatures. The study suggests that using proximal environmental predictors can offer more insights in comparative physiological analyses and help in understanding physiological evolution.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Heidi D. Horrell, Anika Lindeque, Anthony P. Farrell, Roger S. Seymour, Craig R. White, Kayla M. Kruger, Edward P. Snelling
Summary: This meta-study found that cardiac capillary numerical density and mitochondrial volume density decrease with increasing body mass. The scaling trajectories suggest quantitative matching between the supply and consumption of oxygen in the heart, supporting the economic design at the cellular level. However, the exponent for the maximum external mechanical power of the cardiac tissue decreases at a slower rate, implying a declining external mechanical efficiency of the heart with increasing body mass.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Steven J. Portugal, Craig R. White
Summary: The study found that animal-borne logging devices can impact the body weight and energy budget of animals, and it is important to consider device size and attachment time when using biologging technology.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ruth E. Dunn, Jonathan A. Green, Sarah Wanless, Mike P. Harris, Mark A. Newell, Maria Bogdanova, Catharine Horswill, Francis Daunt, Jason Matthiopoulos
Summary: The study used a hierarchical Bayesian state-space model to investigate how animals balance their energy budgets throughout the year, focusing on common guillemots in a North Sea colony. Results showed variations in energy gain over time and space, with lighter individuals found towards the edge of their spatial distribution. By combining biologging data and model analysis, high energetic rewards or potential energetic bottlenecks can be identified.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
James Duckworth, Susan O'Brien, Ib K. Petersen, Aevar Petersen, Gudmundur Benediktsson, Logan Johnson, Petteri Lehikoinen, David Okill, Roni Vaisanen, Jim Williams, Stuart Williams, Francis Daunt, Jonathan A. Green
Summary: Migratory species have geographically separate distributions during their annual cycle. Red-throated divers from different breeding locations show spatial separation in their winter distributions. Red-throated divers breeding in Finland are likely to encounter more anthropogenic activity during the winter period.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sophie Bennett, Mike P. Harris, Sarah Wanless, Jonathan A. Green, Mark A. Newell, Kate R. Searle, Francis Daunt
Summary: Competition for high-quality breeding sites is intense in colonial species. This study found that occupancy of breeding sites during the non-breeding season is related to site quality, breeding timing, and breeding success. Sites with longer and more frequent occupancy tend to have earlier breeding timing and higher breeding success rates.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Martin Beal, Paulo Catry, Richard A. Phillips, Steffen Oppel, John P. Y. Arnould, Maria I. Bogdanova, Mark Bolton, Ana P. B. Carneiro, Corey Clatterbuck, Melinda Conners, Francis Daunt, Karine Delord, Kyle Elliott, Aymeric Fromant, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, Jonathan A. Green, Lewis Halsey, Keith C. Hamer, Motohiro Ito, Ruth Jeavons, Jeong-Hoon Kim, Nobuo Kokubun, Shiho Koyama, Jude V. Lane, Won Young Lee, Sakiko Matsumoto, Rachael A. Orben, Ellie Owen, Vitor H. Paiva, Allison Patterson, Christopher Pollock, Jaime A. Ramos, Paul Sagar, Katsufumi Sato, Scott A. Shaffer, Louise Soanes, Akinori Takahashi, David R. Thompson, Lesley Thorne, Leigh Torres, Yutaka Watanuki, Susan M. Waugh, Henri Weimerskirch, Shannon Whelan, Ken Yoda, Jose C. Xavier, Maria P. Dias
Summary: Animal tracking studies provide insights into space use patterns and inform conservation planning. This study used GPS-tracking data from 23 seabird species to assess the importance of multi-year sampling for identifying important conservation sites. The results showed a high degree of spatial overlap among distribution patterns from different years, suggesting that tracking animals in multiple years may not be necessary. However, it is crucial to track enough individuals to provide a representative estimate of the population distribution during the sampling period.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Constraint-based explanations have dominated theories of size-related patterns in nature. However, we propose a new theory that predicts metabolic allometry arises as a consequence of the optimization of growth and reproduction to maximize fitness within a finite life. Our theory is free of physical geometric constraints and suggests that metabolic allometry can be explained without invoking traditionally assumed constraints.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Craig R. White, Lesley A. Alton, Candice L. Bywater, Emily J. Lombardi, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Froese and Pauly argue that our model contradicts the observation that fish reproduce before their growth rate decreases. Kearney and Jusup show that our model incompletely describes growth and reproduction for some species. Here, we discuss the costs of reproduction, the relationship between reproduction and growth, and propose tests of models based on optimality and constraint.
Article
Ornithology
Ian R. Cleasby, Ellie Owen, Adam Butler, Julia Baer, Jez Blackburn, Maria I. Bogdanova, Tessa Coledale, Francis Daunt, Stephen Dodd, Julian C. Evans, Jonathan A. Green, Tim Guilford, Michael P. Harris, Robert Hughes, Mark A. Newell, Stephen F. Newton, Gail S. Robertson, Lise Ruffino, Akiko Shoji, Louise M. Soanes, Stephen C. Votier, Ewan D. Wakefield, Sarah Wanless, Linda J. Wilson, Mark Bolton
Summary: Knowledge of seabird distributions is crucial for seabird conservation and marine management. However, most seabird colonies have not been tracked, so alternative methods must be used to assess their foraging distribution. By analyzing multiple tracking datasets, we found significant variations in foraging range among different colonies and individuals. Our estimates of typical foraging ranges for each species were also subject to high uncertainties.
Article
Ecology
Rodolfo O. Anderson, Reid Tingley, Conrad J. Hoskin, Craig R. White, David G. Chapple
Summary: Climate has a significant impact on animal physiology, which in turn affects geographic distributions. However, the mechanisms connecting climate, physiology, and distribution are not fully understood.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Madeleine J. De Jong, Lesley A. Alton, Craig R. White, Moira K. O'Bryan, David G. Chapple, Bob B. M. Wong
Summary: Incubation temperature has lasting effects on growth, locomotor performance, and metabolic rate of skink offspring. Cool and hot incubation temperatures result in faster growth and larger maximum size, while hot incubation temperatures reduce locomotor performance. Effects on metabolic rate are present in sub-adults, with higher rates in cool-incubated lizards. Additionally, cool and hot incubation treatments result in shorter sperm midpieces and heads.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Most explanations for the relationship between body size and metabolism are based on physical constraints, which limit their predictive capacity. Contemporary approaches to studying metabolic rate and life history need more pluralism.
Article
Ornithology
Lila Buckingham, Francis Daunt, Maria I. Bogdanova, Robert W. Furness, Sophie Bennett, James Duckworth, Ruth E. Dunn, Sarah Wanless, Michael P. Harris, David C. Jardine, Mark A. Newell, Robin M. Ward, Ewan D. Weston, Jonathan A. Green
Summary: The non-breeding season poses energetic challenges to birds that breed in temperate or polar regions, with implications for population dynamics. This study investigated the influence of non-breeding location on diet, behavior, and energetics in the common guillemot. The results showed that individuals from different breeding colonies exhibited distinct distribution, diet, and behavior, but had similar energy expenditure during late winter.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)