title: Is the scaling of swim speed in sharks driven by metabolism?
abstract: The movement rates of sharks are intrinsically linked to foraging ecology, predator-prey dynamics and wider ecosystem functioning in marine systems. During ram ventilation, however, shark movement rates are linked not only to ecological parameters, but also to physiology, as minimum speeds are required to provide sufficient water flow across the gills to maintain metabolism. We develop a geometric model predicting a positive scaling relationship between swim speeds in relation to body size and ultimately shark metabolism, taking into account estimates for the scaling of gill dimensions. Empirical data from 64 studies (26 species) were compiled to test our model while controlling for the influence of phylogenetic similarity between related species. Our model predictions were found to closely resemble the observed relationships from tracked sharks, providing a means to infer mobility in particularly intractable species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK davidjacoby1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: David M P
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Jacoby
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK CBER, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Penthai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siriwat
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carbone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005880:Gills / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012754:Sharks / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: body size scaling; elasmobranch; metabolic rate; rate of movement; swim speed