scholarly journals Hotter is Smarter: The temperature-dependence of brain size in vertebrates

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
James JF Gillooly
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

The tremendous variation in brain size among vertebrates has long been thought to be related to differences in species’ metabolic rates. Species with higher metabolic rates can supply more energy to support the relatively high cost of brain tissue. And yet, while body temperature is known to be a major determinant of metabolic rate, the possible effects of temperature on brain size have scarcely been explored. Thus, here I explore the effects of temperature on brain size among diverse vertebrates (fishes,amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). I find that, after controlling for body size,brain size increases exponentially with temperature in much the same way asmetabolic rate. These results suggest that temperature-dependent changes inaerobic capacity, which have long been known to affect physical performance, similarly affect brain size. The observed temperature-dependence of brain size may explain observed gradients in brain size among both ectotherms and endotherms across broad spatial and temporal scales.

scholarly journals Brain size varies with temperature in vertebrates

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F Gillooly
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

The tremendous variation in brain size among vertebrates has long been thought to be related to differences in species’ metabolic rates. Species with higher metabolic rates can supply more energy to support the relatively high cost of brain tissue. And yet, while body temperature is known to be a major determinant of metabolic rate, the possible effects of temperature on brain size have scarcely been explored. Thus, here I explore the effects of temperature on brain size among diverse vertebrates (fishes,amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). I find that, after controlling for body size,brain size increases exponentially with temperature in much the same way asmetabolic rate. These results suggest that temperature-dependent changes in aerobic capacity, which have long been known to affect physical performance, similarly affect brain size. The observed temperature-dependence of brain size may explain observed gradients in brain size among both ectotherms and endotherms across broad spatial and temporal scales.

scholarly journals Brain size varies with temperature in vertebrates

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F Gillooly
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

The tremendous variation in brain size among vertebrates has long been thought to be related to differences in species’ metabolic rates. Species with higher metabolic rates can supply more energy to support the relatively high cost of brain tissue. And yet, while body temperature is known to be a major determinant of metabolic rate, the possible effects of temperature on brain size have scarcely been explored. Thus, here I explore the effects of temperature on brain size among diverse vertebrates (fishes,amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). I find that, after controlling for body size,brain size increases exponentially with temperature in much the same way asmetabolic rate. These results suggest that temperature-dependent changes in aerobic capacity, which have long been known to affect physical performance, similarly affect brain size. The observed temperature-dependence of brain size may explain observed gradients in brain size among both ectotherms and endotherms across broad spatial and temporal scales.

Metabolic Rate of Female Rats as a Function of Age and Body Size

1956 ◽  
Vol 186 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Kleiber ◽  
Arthur H. Smith ◽  
Theodore N. Chernikoff
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Standard Errors ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Specific Unit

On the basis of 926 respiration trials, metabolic rates of normal female rats are presented as means of 42 different age groups from birth to 1000 days of age. The means with their standard errors are given for the metabolic rates per rat, per kilogram weight, per unit of the 2/3 power of body weight (surface), and per unit of the 3/4 power of body weight (inter specific unit of metabolic body size). A minimum of 72.6 Cal/kg.3/4 occurs between the ages of 200 and 300 days. An equation with two exponentials predicts the metabolic rate of rats from 77–1000 days of age with a standard deviation between prediction and observation of 2.2% of the mean.

scholarly journals Circulation and metabolic rates in a natural hibernator: an integrative physiological model

2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (6) ◽  
pp. R1478-R1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Hampton ◽  
Bethany T. Nelson ◽  
Matthew T. Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Core Body Temperature ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
Physiological Model ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Spermophilus Tridecemlineatus ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Core Body

Small hibernating mammals show regular oscillations in their heart rate and body temperature throughout the winter. Long periods of torpor are abruptly interrupted by arousals with heart rates that rapidly increase from 5 beats/min to over 400 beats/min and body temperatures that increase by ∼30°C only to drop back into the hypothermic torpid state within hours. Surgically implanted transmitters were used to obtain high-resolution electrocardiogram and body temperature data from hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels ( Spermophilus tridecemlineatus ). These data were used to construct a model of the circulatory system to gain greater understanding of these rapid and extreme changes in physiology. Our model provides estimates of metabolic rates during the torpor-arousal cycles in different model compartments that would be difficult to measure directly. In the compartment that models the more metabolically active tissues and organs (heart, brain, liver, and brown adipose tissue) the peak metabolic rate occurs at a core body temperature of 19°C approximately midway through an arousal. The peak metabolic rate of the active tissues is nine times the normothermic rate after the arousal is complete. For the overall metabolic rate in all tissues, the peak-to-resting ratio is five. This value is high for a rodent, which provides evidence for the hypothesis that the arousal from torpor is limited by the capabilities of the cardiovascular system.

scholarly journals Why mammalian lineages respond differently to sexual selection: metabolic rate constrains the evolution of sperm size

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1721) ◽  
pp. 3135-3141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Gomendio ◽  
Maximiliano Tourmente ◽  
Eduardo R. S. Roldan
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Sperm Size

The hypothesis that sperm competition should favour increases in sperm size, because it results in faster swimming speeds, has received support from studies on many taxa, but remains contentious for mammals. We suggest that this may be because mammalian lineages respond differently to sexual selection, owing to major differences in body size, which are associated with differences in mass-specific metabolic rate. Recent evidence suggests that cellular metabolic rate also scales with body size, so that small mammals have cells that process energy and resources from the environment at a faster rate. We develop the ‘metabolic rate constraint hypothesis’ which proposes that low mass-specific metabolic rate among large mammals may limit their ability to respond to sexual selection by increasing sperm size, while this constraint does not exist among small mammals. Here we show that among rodents, which have high mass-specific metabolic rates, sperm size increases under sperm competition, reaching the longest sperm sizes found in eutherian mammals. By contrast, mammalian lineages with large body sizes have small sperm, and while metabolic rate (corrected for body size) influences sperm size, sperm competition levels do not. When all eutherian mammals are analysed jointly, our results suggest that as mass-specific metabolic rate increases, so does maximum sperm size. In addition, species with low mass-specific metabolic rates produce uniformly small sperm, while species with high mass-specific metabolic rates produce a wide range of sperm sizes. These findings support the hypothesis that mass-specific metabolic rates determine the budget available for sperm production: at high levels, sperm size increases in response to sexual selection, while low levels constrain the ability to respond to sexual selection by increasing sperm size. Thus, adaptive and costly traits, such as sperm size, may only evolve under sexual selection when metabolic rate does not constrain cellular budgets.

Standard metabolic rate and preferred body temperatures in some Australian pythons

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin S. Bedford ◽  
Keith A. Christian
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Thermal Sensitivity ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Daily Cycle ◽  
Preferred Body Temperature

Pythons have standard metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures that are lower than those of most other reptiles. This study investigated metabolic rates and preferred body temperatures of seven taxa of Australian pythons. We found that Australian pythons have particularly low metabolic rates when compared with other boid snakes, and that the metabolic rates of the pythons did not change either seasonally or on a daily cycle. Preferred body temperatures do vary seasonally in some species but not in others. Across all species and seasons, the preferred body temperature range was only 4.9˚C. The thermal sensitivity (Q10) of oxygen consumption by pythons conformed to the established range of between 2 and 3. Allometric equations for the pooled python data at each of the experimental temperatures gave an equation exponent of 0.72–0.76, which is similar to previously reported values. By having low preferred body temperatures and low metabolic rates, pythons appear to be able to conserve energy while still maintaining a vigilant ‘sit and wait’ predatory existence. These physiological attributes would allow pythons to maximise the time they can spend ‘sitting and waiting’ in the pursuit of prey.

scholarly journals Heart rate reveals torpor at high body temperatures in lowland tropical free-tailed bats

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 171359 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Teague O'Mara ◽  
Sebastian Rikker ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
Andries Ter Maat ◽  
Henry S. Pollock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Body Temperatures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Save Energy ◽  
Molossus Molossus

Reduction in metabolic rate and body temperature is a common strategy for small endotherms to save energy. The daily reduction in metabolic rate and heterothermy, or torpor, is particularly pronounced in regions with a large variation in daily ambient temperature. This applies most strongly in temperate bat species (order Chiroptera), but it is less clear how tropical bats save energy if ambient temperatures remain high. However, many subtropical and tropical species use some daily heterothermy on cool days. We recorded the heart rate and the body temperature of free-ranging Pallas' mastiff bats ( Molossus molossus ) in Gamboa, Panamá, and showed that these individuals have low field metabolic rates across a wide range of body temperatures that conform to high ambient temperature. Importantly, low metabolic rates in controlled respirometry trials were best predicted by heart rate, and not body temperature . Molossus molossus enter torpor-like states characterized by low metabolic rate and heart rates at body temperatures of 32°C, and thermoconform across a range of temperatures. Flexible metabolic strategies may be far more common in tropical endotherms than currently known.

Hibernation and Daily Torpor in Marsupials - a Review

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Geiser
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Basal Metabolic Rate ◽  
Daily Torpor ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Torpor Bouts

Most heterothermic marsupials appear to display one of the two patterns of torpor that have been described in placental mammals. During shallow, daily torpor body temperature (T(b)) falls for several hours from about 35-degrees-C to values between 11 and 28-degrees-C, depending on the species, and metabolic rates fall to about 10-60% of the basal metabolic rate (BMR). In contrast during deep and prolonged torpor (hibernation), T(b) falls to about 1-5-degrees-C, metabolic rates to about 2-6% of BMR and torpor bouts last for 5-23 days. Shallow, daily torpor has been observed in the opossums (Didelphidae), the carnivorous marsupials (Dasyuridae) and the small possums (Petauridae). Daily torpor may also occur in the numbat (Myrmecobiidae) and the marsupial mole (Notoryctidae). Deep and prolonged torpor (hibernation) has been observed in the pygmy possums (Burramyidae), feathertail glider (Acrobatidae) and Dromiciops australis (Microbiotheriidae). The patterns of torpor in marsupials are paralleled by those of monotremes, placentals and even birds. These similarities in torpor patterns provide some support to the hypothesis that torpor may be plesiomorphic. However, as endothermy and torpor in birds apparently has evolved separately from that in mammals and as torpor occurrence in mammals can change within only a few generations it appears more likely that torpor in endotherms is convergent.

scholarly journals Sex-specific covariance between metabolic rate, behaviour and morphology in the ground beetle Carabus hortensis

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12455
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Yarwood ◽  
Claudia Drees ◽  
Jeremy E. Niven ◽  
Wiebke Schuett
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Exploratory Behaviour ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Sexual Dimorphisms ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Mass Dependent

Background Individuals within the same species often differ in their metabolic rates, which may covary with behavioural traits (such as exploration), that are consistent across time and/or contexts, and morphological traits. Yet, despite the frequent occurrence of sexual dimorphisms in morphology and behaviour, few studies have assessed whether and how sexes differ in metabolic trait covariances. Methods We investigated sex-specific relationships among resting or active metabolic rate (RMR and AMR, respectively) with exploratory behaviour, measured independently of metabolic rate in a novel environment, body size and body mass, in Carabus hortensis ground beetles. Results RMR, AMR and exploratory behaviour were repeatable among individuals across time, except for male RMR which was unrepeatable. Female RMR neither correlated with exploratory behaviour nor body size/body mass. In contrast, AMR was correlated with both body size and exploratory behaviour. Males with larger body sizes had higher AMR, whereas females with larger body sizes had lower AMR. Both male and female AMR were significantly related to exploratory behaviour, though the relationships between AMR and exploration were body mass-dependent in males and temperature-dependent in females. Discussion Differences between sexes exist in the covariances between metabolic rate, body size and exploratory behaviour. This suggests that selection acts differently on males and females to produce these trait covariances with potentially important consequences for individual fitness.

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