Growth Rate and Mature Function of Skeletal Muscle: A Constraint on the Evolution of Avian Life Histories

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The investigators will test the hypothesis that postnatal growth rate is inversely related to the functional capacity of skeletal muscle. If birds are constrained by such a relationship during the course of development, they shall be able to interpret variation in growth rate in terms of the precocity of the newly hatched chick and the quality and extent of care provided by the parents. They will measure functional capacity directly by the ability of chicks to generate heat in response to cold stress, and indirectly by the biochemical attributes of muscle, particularly enzyme activities. The project compares altricial species, which require intense parental care, to precocial species, which can maintain body temperature and feed themselves soon after hatching. The project will be among the few studies to date to consider organism-level constraints on the optimization of life- history adaptations and should help in understanding the design of organisms more generally.