title: Fluctuating selection on basal metabolic rate.
abstract: BMR (Basal metabolic rate) is an important trait in animal life history as it represents a significant part of animal energy budgets. BMR has also been shown to be positively related to sustainable work rate and maximal thermoregulatory capacity. To this date, most of the studies have focused on the causes of interspecific and intraspecific variation in BMR, and fairly little is known about the fitness consequences of different metabolic strategies. In this study, we show that winter BMR affects local survival in a population of wild blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), but that the selection direction differs between years. We argue that this fluctuating selection is probably a consequence of varying winter climate with a positive relation between survival and BMR during cold and harsh conditions, but a negative relation during mild winters. This fluctuating selection can not only explain the pronounced variation in BMR in wild populations, but will also give us new insights into how energy turnover rates can shape the life-history strategies of animals. Furthermore, the study shows that the process of global warming may cause directional selection for a general reduction in BMR, affecting the general life-history strategy on the population level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Lund University Ecology Building SE-223 62 Lund Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Lund University Ecology Building SE-223 62 Lund Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan-Åke
authors.initials: JÅ
authors.lastname: Nilsson
keywords: Basal metabolic rate; fluctuating selection; metabolic strategy; winter survival
references.citation: Physiol Biochem Zool. 2004 Nov-Dec;77(6):890-9
references.pmid: 15674764
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2009 Jul;212(Pt 13):1995-9
references.pmid: 19525424
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2002 Aug 22;269(1501):1735-9
references.pmid: 12204136
references.citation: Biol Lett. 2006 Sep 22;2(3):478-80
references.pmid: 17148435
references.citation: Evolution. 2005 Jul;59(7):1600-3
references.pmid: 16153046
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2015 Jul;218(Pt 14):2190-200
references.pmid: 25987736
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2011 Dec 7;278(1724):3465-73
references.pmid: 21957133
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2005 Dec;208(Pt 24):4663-9
references.pmid: 16326947
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2009 Mar;212(Pt 6):808-14
references.pmid: 19251997
references.citation: J Comp Physiol B. 2008 Mar;178(3):235-47
references.pmid: 17957373
references.citation: J Evol Biol. 2010 Sep 1;23(9):1969-78
references.pmid: 20695968
references.citation: Physiol Biochem Zool. 2002 Jul-Aug;75(4):386-95
references.pmid: 12324895
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2007 Jan 22;274(1607):287-93
references.pmid: 17148258
references.citation: Nature. 1997 Apr 3;386(6624):457-62
references.pmid: 9087402
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2007 Jan;210(Pt 1):97-106
references.pmid: 17170153
references.citation: J Evol Biol. 2007 Sep;20(5):1815-22
references.pmid: 17714299
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Nov 22;270(1531):2383-8
references.pmid: 14667355
references.citation: J Evol Biol. 2011 Oct;24(10):2153-63
references.pmid: 21696480
references.citation: Physiol Biochem Zool. 2011 May-Jun;84(3):287-91
references.pmid: 21527819
references.citation: J Evol Biol. 2009 Sep;22(9):1867-74
references.pmid: 19682309
references.citation: Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2008 Aug;150(4):452-7
references.pmid: 18571446
references.citation: Biol Lett. 2007 Aug 22;3(4):408-10
references.pmid: 17456447
references.citation: Integr Comp Biol. 2005 Jun;45(3):416-25
references.pmid: 21676787
references.citation: J Comp Physiol B. 2010 Feb;180(2):301-11
references.pmid: 19730868
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 29;104(22):9340-5
references.pmid: 17517640
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2004 Feb 22;271(1537):367-72
references.pmid: 15101695
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2009 Oct 22;276(1673):3695-704
references.pmid: 19656796
references.citation: J Evol Biol. 2009 Jun;22(6):1212-20
references.pmid: 19344384