Ecological energetics of small, wild mammals: from flexibility of fitness

小型野生哺乳动物的生态能量学：来自适应性的灵活性

• 批准号: 341418-2010
• 负责人: Willis, Craig
• 金额: $ 1.6万
• 依托单位: University of Winnipeg
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=549342
• 关键词: Ecological; energetics; small; wild; mammals

For a half-century, comparative physiologists have used comparisons of species to understand causes of variation in traits affecting energy balance of endotherms (i.e., mammals and birds). Often, these comparisons have addressed maintenance or basal metabolic rate (BMR), a trait thought to be of importance because of significant direct or indirect consequences for reproductive fitness. More recently, evolutionary physiology has recognized the importance of studying variation within, as well as between species and this approach has been applied with particular success to the study of mammalian hibernation. Evolutionary physiologists have also begun to address the potential evolutionary and ecological importance of correlations between metabolism, life history traits and behavioural syndromes or animal personalities based, in part, on the prediction that, within species, "low energy" behavioural and life history traits should correspond with "low energy" metabolic rates. Within this context, I aim to: 1) identify factors which explain intraspecific variation in torpor expression by hibernators; 2) test hypotheses about links between personalities, life histories and energetics; 3) begin to quantify the importance to hibernators of phenotypic plasticity in physiological and behavioural traits; and 4) begin to link these sources of phenotypic variation to variation in survival and fitness in wild populations. My students and I will employ observational field studies and experimental laboratory work on bats and ground squirrels, and use long-term datasets to connect intraspecific variation in energetic and behavioural traits with survival and fitness in the wild. This work has fundamental significance for understanding mammalian evolution and ecology, as well as applied significance for understanding how species and populations might respond to environmental change. Our work on hibernation in bats is also important for understanding and addressing White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal pathogen which has caused starvation of over a million hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. since its discovery in 2006.

半个世纪以来，比较生理学家已经使用物种的比较来了解影响恒温动物能量平衡的性状变化的原因（即，哺乳动物和鸟类）。通常，这些比较涉及维持或基础代谢率（BMR），这是一个被认为是重要的性状，因为它对生殖健康有着显著的直接或间接影响。最近，进化生理学已经认识到研究物种内部以及物种之间的变化的重要性，这种方法已经成功地应用于哺乳动物冬眠的研究。进化生理学家也开始讨论代谢、生活史特征和行为综合征或动物个性之间的相关性在进化和生态学上的潜在重要性，部分原因是基于这样的预测：在物种内部，“低能量”的行为和生活史特征应该与“低能量”的代谢率相对应。在此背景下，我的目标是：1）确定解释冬眠动物休眠表达的种内差异的因素; 2）测试人格、生活史和能量学之间联系的假设; 3）开始量化冬眠动物生理和行为特征中表型可塑性的重要性;（4）开始将这些表型变异的来源与野生种群中生存和适合度的变异联系起来。我和我的学生将对蝙蝠和地松鼠进行观察性实地研究和实验室工作，并使用长期数据集将能量和行为特征的种内变异与野外生存和健康联系起来。这项工作对于理解哺乳动物进化和生态学具有基础性意义，对于理解物种和种群如何应对环境变化具有应用意义。我们对蝙蝠冬眠的研究对于了解和解决白鼻综合症也很重要，白鼻综合症是一种真菌病原体，自2006年发现以来，已导致美国东北部超过100万只冬眠蝙蝠挨饿。