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Background All behaviour requires energy, and measuring energy expenditure in standard units (joules) is key to linking behaviour to ecological processes. Animal-borne accelerometers are commonly used to infer proxies of energy expenditure, termed 'dynamic body acceleration' (DBA). However, converting acceleration proxies (m/s(2)) to standard units (watts) involves costly in-lab respirometry measurements, and there is a lack of viable substitutes for empirical calibration relationships when these are unavailable., Methods We used past allometric work quantifying energy expenditure during resting and locomotion as a function of body mass to calibrate DBA. We used the resulting 'power calibration equation' to estimate daily energy expenditure (DEE) using two models: (1) locomotion data-based linear calibration applied to the waking period, and Kleiber's law applied to the sleeping period (ACTIWAKE), and (2) locomotion and resting data-based linear calibration applied to the 24-h period (ACTIREST24). Since both models require locomotion speed information, we developed an algorithm to estimate speed from accelerometer, gyroscope, and behavioural annotation data. We applied these methods to estimate DEE in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta), and compared model estimates with published DEE measurements made using doubly labelled water (DLW) on the same meerkat population., Results ACTIWAKE's DEE estimates did not differ significantly from DLW (t(19) = - 1.25; P = 0.22), while ACTIREST24's estimates did (t(19) = - 2.38; P = 0.028). Both models underestimated DEE compared to DLW: ACTIWAKE by 14% and ACTIREST by 26%. The inter-individual spread in model estimates of DEE (s.d. 1-2% of mean) was lower than that in DLW (s.d. 33% of mean)., Conclusions We found that linear locomotion-based calibration applied to the waking period, and a 'flat' resting metabolic rate applied to the sleeping period can provide realistic joule estimates of DEE in terrestrial mammals. The underestimation and lower spread in model estimates compared to DLW likely arise because the accelerometer only captures movement-related energy expenditure, whereas DLW is an integrated measure. Our study offers new tools to incorporate body mass (through allometry), and changes in behavioural time budgets and intra-behaviour changes in intensity (through DBA) in acceleration-based field assessments of daily energy expenditure.

1. The effects of environmental temperature on components of insect flight determine life history traits, fitness, adaptability, and ultimately, organism ecosystem functional roles. Despite the crucial role of flying insects across landscapes, our understanding of how temperature affects insect flight performance remains limited. 2. Many insect pollinators are considered under threat from climatic warming. Quantifying the relationship between temperature and behavioural performance traits allows us to understand where species are operating in respect to their thermal limits, helping predict responses to projected temperature increases and/or erratic weather events. 3. Using a tethered flight mill, we quantify how flight performance of a widespread bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, varies over a temperature range (12-30oC). Given that body mass constrains insect mobility and behaviour, bumblebees represent a useful system to study temperature-mediated size-dependence of flight performance owing to the large intra-colony variation in worker body size they exhibit.. 4. Workers struggled to fly over a few hundred metres at the lowest tested temperature of 12oC, however flight endurance increased as temperatures rose, peaking around 25oC after which it declined. Our findings further revealed variation in flight capacity across the workforce, with larger workers flying further, longer, and faster than their smaller nestmates. Body mass was also positively related with the likelihood of flight, although importantly this relationship became stronger as temperatures cooled, such that at 12oC only the largest workers were successful fliers. Our study thus highlights that colony foraging success under variable thermal environments can be dependent on the body mass distribution of constituent workers, and more broadly suggests smaller-bodied insects may benefit disproportionately more from warming than larger-bodied ones in terms of flight performance. 5. By incorporating both flight endurance and likelihood of flight, we calculated a simple metric termed ‘temperature-mediated foraging potential’ to gain a clearer understanding of how temperature may constrain colony foraging. Of our tested temperatures, 27oC supported the highest potential, indicating that for much of the range of this species, higher mean daily temperatures as forecasted under climate warming will push colonies closer to their thermal optimum for flight. Subsequently, warming may have positive implications for bumblebee foraging returns and pollination provision.

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Hanhimäki, Watts, Koskela, Koteja, Mappes and Hämäläinen. Gut microbiota is expected to coevolve with the host's physiology and may play a role in adjusting the host's energy metabolism to suit the host's environment. To evaluate the effects of both evolved host metabolism and the environmental context in shaping the gut microbiota, we used a unique combination of (1) experimental evolution to create selection lines for a fast metabolism and (2) a laboratory-to-field translocation study. Mature bank voles Myodes glareolus from lines selected for high aerobic capacity (A lines) and from unselected control (C lines) were released into large (0.2 ha) outdoor enclosures for longitudinal monitoring. To examine whether the natural environment elicited a similar or more pronounced impact on the gut microbiota of the next generation, we also sampled the field-reared offspring. The gut microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of fecal samples. The artificial selection for fast metabolism had minimal impact on the gut microbiota in laboratory conditions but in field conditions, there were differences between the selection lines (A lines vs. C lines) in the diversity, community, and resilience of the gut microbiota. Notably, the selection lines differed in the less abundant bacteria throughout the experiment. The lab-to-field transition resulted in an increase in alpha diversity and an altered community composition in the gut microbiota, characterized by a significant increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and a decrease of Patescibacteria. Also, the selection lines showed different temporal patterns in changes in microbiota composition, as the average gut microbiota alpha diversity of the C lines, but not A lines, was temporarily reduced during the initial transition to the field. In surviving young voles, the alpha diversity of gut microbiota was significantly higher in A-line than C-line voles. These results indicate that the association of host metabolism and gut microbiota is context-specific, likely mediated by behavioral or physiological modifications in response to the environment.

Active dispersal is driven by extrinsic and intrinsic factors at the three stages of departure, transfer and settlement. Most empirical studies capture only one stage of this complex process, and knowledge of how much can be generalized from one stage to another remains unknown. Here we use genetic assignment tests to reconstruct dispersal across 5 years and 232 habitat patches of a Glanville fritillary butterfly ( Melitaea cinxia ) metapopulation. We link individual dispersal events to weather, landscape structure, size and quality of habitat patches, and individual genotype to identify the factors that influence the three stages of dispersal and post-settlement survival. We found that nearly all tested factors strongly affected departure probabilities, but that the same factors explained very little variation in realized dispersal distances. Surprisingly, we found no effect of dispersal distance on post-settlement survival. Rather, survival was influenced by weather conditions, quality of the natal habitat patch, and a strong interaction between genotype and occupancy status of the settled habitat patch, with more mobile genotypes having higher survival as colonists rather than as immigrants. Our work highlights the multi-causality of dispersal and that some dispersal costs can only be understood by considering extrinsic and intrinsic factors and their interaction across the entire dispersal process.

PURPOSE: Accurate measurement of energy expenditure (EE) using doubly labeled water depends on the estimate of total body water (TBW). The aims of this study were to 1) assess the accuracy of a new approach for estimating TBW and EE during high-energy turnover and 2) assess the accuracy of day-to-day assessment of EE with this new approach.METHODS: EE was measured in six healthy subjects (three male) for 5 consecutive days using three doubly labeled water methods: 1) the plateau, 2) slope-intercept, and 3) overnight-slope method, with whole-room indirect calorimetry as reference method. Urine samples were collected every evening and morning. High EE (physical activity level of >2.5) was achieved by cycling 4 h·d-1.RESULTS: Physical activity level was 2.8 ± 0.1. TBW values were 41.9 ± 6.1, 38.4 ± 5.7, and 40.4 ± 5.8 L for the plateau, slope-intercept, and overnight-slope methods, respectively. The overnight-slope method showed the highest accuracy in estimated CO2 production, when compared with indirect calorimetry over the complete 5-d period (mean ± SD difference, 0.9% ± 1.6%). The plateau method significantly overestimated CO2 production by 4.7% ± 2.6%, whereas the slope-intercept method underestimated CO2 production (-3.4% ± 2.3%). When CO2 production was assessed per day, the overnight-slope method showed an average difference of 9.4% ± 4.5% to indirect calorimetry.CONCLUSIONS: The overnight-slope method resulted in a more accurate estimation of CO2 production and EE compared with the plateau or slope-intercept method over a 5-d period in high physical activity conditions. Day-to-day determination of EE using the overnight-slope method was more accurate than diet recall and several standard prediction equations in athletes.

Exposure to moderate hypoxia in humans leads to cerebral lactate production, which occurs even when the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) is unaffected. We searched for the mechanism of this lactate production by testing the hypothesis of upregulation of cerebral glycolysis mediated by hypoxic sensing. Describing the pathways counteracting brain hypoxia could help us understand brain diseases associated with hypoxia. A total of 65 subjects participated in this study: 30 subjects were exposed to poikilocapnic hypoxia, 14 were exposed to isocapnic hypoxia, and 21 were exposed to carbon monoxide (CO). Using this setup, we examined whether lactate production reacts to an overall reduction in arterial oxygen concentration or solely to reduced arterial oxygen partial pressure. We measured cerebral blood flow (CBF), CMRO2, and lactate concentrations by magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. CBF increased (P 0.076) in all groups, as expected. Lactate increased in groups inhaling hypoxic air (poikilocapnic hypoxia: $0.0136\ \frac{\mathrm{mmol}/\mathrm{L}}{\Delta{\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{a}}{\mathrm{O}}_2}$, P Lactate production was not associated with reduced CMRO2. These results point toward a mechanism of lactate production by upregulation of glycolysis mediated by sensing a reduced arterial oxygen pressure. The released lactate may act as a signaling molecule engaged in vasodilation.

The Red Queen's hypothesis portrays evolution as a never-ending competition for expansive energy, where one species’ gain is another species’ loss. The Red Queen is neutral with respect to body size, implying that neither small nor large species have a universal competitive advantage. Here we ask whether, and if so how, the Red Queen's hypothesis really can accommodate differences in body size. The maximum population growth in ecology clearly depends on body size—the smaller the species, the shorter the generation length, and the faster it can expand given sufficient opportunity. On the other hand, large species are more efficient in energy use due to metabolic scaling and can maintain more biomass with the same energy. The advantage of shorter generation makes a wide range of body sizes competitive, yet large species do not take over. We analytically show that individuals consume energy and reproduce in physiological time, but need to compete for energy in real time. The Red Queen, through adaptive evolution of populations, balances the pressures of real and physiological time. Modeling competition for energy as a proportional prize contest from economics, we further show that Red Queen's zero-sum game can generate unimodal hat-like patterns of species rise and decline that can be neutral in relation to body size.

WOS:000681398200011; International audience; Gilthead seabream were equipped with intraperitoneal biologging tags to investigate cardiac responses to hypoxia and warming, comparing when fish were either swimming freely in a tank with conspecifics or confined to individual respirometers. After tag implantation under anaesthesia, heart rate (f(H)) required 60 h to recover to a stable value in a holding tank. Subsequently, when undisturbed under control conditions (normoxia, 21 degrees C), mean f(H) was always significantly lower in the tank than in the respirometers. In progressive hypoxia (100% to 15% oxygen saturation), mean f(H) in the tank was significantly lower than in the respirometers at oxygen levels down to 40%, with significant bradycardia in both holding conditions below this level. Simultaneous logging of tri-axial body acceleration revealed that spontaneous activity, inferred as the variance of external acceleration (VAR(m)), was low and invariant in hypoxia. Warming (21 to 31 degrees C) caused progressive tachycardia with no differences in f(H) between holding conditions. Mean VAR(m) was, however, significantly higher in the tank during warming, with a positive relationship between VAR(m) and f(H) across all temperatures. Therefore, spontaneous activity contributed to raising f(H) of fish in the tank during warming. Mean f(H) in respirometers had a highly significant linear relationship with mean rates of oxygen uptake, considering data from hypoxia and warming together. The high f(H) of confined seabream indicates that respirometry techniques may bias estimates of metabolic traits in some fishes, and that biologging on free-swimming fish will provide more reliable insight into cardiac and behavioural responses to environmental stressors by fish in their natural environment.

Warming of aquatic environments as a result of climate change is already having measurable impacts on fishes, manifested as changes in phenology, range shifts and reductions in body size. Understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying these seemingly universal patterns is crucial if we are to reliably predict the fate of fish populations with future warming. This includes an understanding of mechanisms for acute thermal tolerance, as extreme heatwaves may be a major driver of observed effects. The hypothesis of gill oxygen limitation (GOL) is claimed to explain asymptotic fish growth, and why some fish species are decreasing in size with warming; but its underlying assumptions conflict with established knowledge and direct mechanistic evidence is lacking. The hypothesis of oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT) has stimulated a wave of research into the role of oxygen supply capacity and thermal performance curves for aerobic scope, but results vary greatly between species, indicating that it is unlikely to be a universal mechanism. As thermal performance curves remain important for incorporating physiological tolerance into models, we discuss potentially fruitful alternatives to aerobic scope, notably specific dynamic action and growth rate. We consider the limitations of estimating acute thermal tolerance by a single rapid measure whose mechanism of action is not known. We emphasise the continued importance of experimental physiology, particularly in advancing our understanding of underlying mechanisms, but also the challenge of making this knowledge relevant to the more complex reality.

Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution., Modern mammals are endothermic, but it has not been clear when this type of metabolism evolved. Here, Newham et al. analyse tooth and bone structure in Early Jurassic stem-mammal fossils to estimate lifespan and blood flow rates, which inform about basal and maximum metabolic rates, respectively, and show these stem-mammals had metabolic rates closer to modern ectothermic reptiles than to endothermic mammals.

During winter insects face energetic stress driven by lack of food, and thermal stress due to sub-optimal and even lethal temperatures. To survive, most insects living in seasonal environments such as high latitudes, enter diapause, a deep resting stage characterized by a cessation of development, metabolic suppression and increased stress tolerance. The current study explores physiological adaptations related to diapause in three beetle species at high latitudes in Europe. From an ecological perspective, the comparison is interesting since one species (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is an invasive pest that has recently expanded its range into northern Europe, where a retardation in range expansion is seen. By comparing its physiological toolkit to that of two closely related native beetles (Agelastica alni and Chrysolina polita) with similar overwintering ecology and collected from similar latitude, we can study if harsh winters might be constraining further expansion. Our results suggest all species suppress metabolism during diapause and build large lipid stores before diapause, which then are used sparingly. In all species diapause is associated with temporal shifts in storage and membrane lipid profiles, mostly in accordance with the homeoviscous adaptation hypothesis, stating that low temperatures necessitate acclimation responses that increase fluidity of storage lipids, allowing their enzymatic hydrolysis, and ensure integral protein functions. Overall, the two native species had similar lipidomic profiles when compared to the invasive species, but all species showed specific shifts in their lipid profiles after entering diapause. Taken together, all three species show adaptations that improve energy saving and storage and membrane lipid fluidity during overwintering diapause. While the three species differed in the specific strategies used to increase lipid viscosity, the two native beetle species showed a more canalized lipidomic response, than the recent invader. Since close relatives with similar winter ecology can have different winter ecophysiology, extrapolations among species should be done with care. Still, range expansion of the recent invader into high latitude habitats might indeed be retarded by lack of physiological tools to manage especially thermal stress during winter, but conversely species adapted to long cold winters may face these stressors as a consequence of ongoing climate warming. peerReviewed

Calorie restriction (CR), the reduction of dietary intake below energy requirements while maintaining optimal nutrition, is the only known nutritional intervention with the potential to attenuate aging. Evidence from observational, preclinical, and clinical trials suggests the ability to increase life span by 1–5 years with an improvement in health span and quality of life. CR moderates intrinsic processes of aging through cellular and metabolic adaptations and reducing risk for the development of many cardiometabolic diseases. Yet, implementation of CR may require unique considerations for the elderly and other specific populations. The objectives of this review are to summarize the evidence for CR to modify primary and secondary aging; present caveats for implementation in special populations; describe newer, alternative approaches that have comparative effectiveness and fewer deleterious effects; and provide thoughts on the future of this important field of study.

For free-ranging animals living in seasonal environments, hypometabolism (lowered metabolic rate) and hypothermia (lowered body temperature) can be effective physiological strategies to conserve energy when forage resources are low. To what extent such strategies are adopted by large mammals living under extreme conditions, as those encountered in the high Arctic, is largely unknown, especially for species where the gestation period overlaps with the period of lowest resource availability (i.e. winter). Here we investigated for the first time the level to which high arctic muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) adopt hypothermia and tested the hypothesis that individual plasticity in the use of hypothermia depends on reproductive status. We measured core body temperature over most of the gestation period in both free-ranging muskox females in Greenland and captive female muskoxen in Alaska. We found divergent overwintering strategies according to reproductive status, where pregnant females maintained stable body temperatures during winter, while non-pregnant females exhibited a temporary decrease in their winter body temperature. These results show that muskox females use hypothermia during periods of resource scarcity, but also that the use of this strategy may be limited to non-reproducing females. Our findings suggest a trade-off between metabolically-driven energy conservation during winter and sustaining foetal growth, which may also apply to other large herbivores living in highly seasonal environments elsewhere.

High baseline glucose levels are associated with pathologies and shorter lifespan in humans, but little is known about causes and consequences of individual variation in glucose levels in other species. We tested to what extent baseline blood glucose level is a repeatable trait in adult zebra finches, and whether glucose levels were associated with age, manipulated environmental conditions during development (rearing brood size) and adulthood (foraging cost), and lifespan. We found that: (1) repeatability of glucose levels was 30%, both within and between years. (2) Having been reared in a large brood and living with higher foraging costs as adult were independently associated with higher glucose levels. Furthermore, the finding that baseline glucose was low when ambient temperature was high, and foraging costs were low, indicates that glucose is regulated at a lower level when energy turnover is low. (3) Survival probability decreased with increasing baseline glucose. We conclude that baseline glucose is an individual trait negatively associated with survival, and increases due to adverse environmental conditions during development (rearing brood size) and adulthood (foraging cost). Blood glucose may be, therefore, part of the physiological processes linking environmental conditions to lifespan.

The doubly labelled water method for the measurement of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) over 1–3 weeks under daily living conditions is the indicated method to study effects of exercise and extreme environments on energy balance. Subjects consume a measured amount of doubly labelled water (2H218O) to increase background enrichment of body water for 18O and 2H, and the subsequent difference in elimination rate between 18O and 2H, as measured in urine, saliva or blood samples, is a measure for carbon dioxide production and thus allows calculation of TDEE. The present review describes research showing that physical activity level (PAL), calculated as TDEE (assessed with doubly labelled water) divided by resting energy expenditure (REE, PAL = TDEE/REE), reaches a maximum value of 2·00–2·40 in subjects with a vigorously active lifestyle. Higher PAL values, while maintaining energy balance, are observed in professional athletes consuming additional energy dense foods to compete at top level. Exercise training can increase TDEE/REE in young adults to a value of 2·00–2·40, when energy intake is unrestricted. Furthermore, the review shows an exercise induced increase in activity energy expenditure can be compensated by a reduction in REE and by a reduction in non-exercise physical activity, especially at a negative energy balance. Additionally, in untrained subjects, an exercise-induced increase in activity energy expenditure is compensated by a training-induced increase in exercise efficiency.

WOS:000403743300007; High shore intertidal ectotherms must withstand temperatures which are already close, at or beyond their upper physiological thermal tolerance. Their behaviour can provide a relief under heat stress, and increase their survival through thermoregulation. Here, we used infrared imaging to reveal the thermoregulatory behavioural strategies used by the snail Littorina saxatilis (Olivi) on different microhabitats of a high shore boulder field in Finistere (western France) in summer. On our study site, substrate temperature is frequently greater than L. saxatilis upper physiological thermal limits, especially on sun exposed microhabitats. To maintain body temperatures within their thermal tolerance window, withdrawn snails adopted a flat posture, or elevated their shells and kept appended to the rock on the outer lip of their aperture with dried mucous (standing posture). These thermal regulatory behaviours lowered snail body temperatures on average by 1-2 degrees C. Aggregation behaviour had no thermoregulatory effect on L. saxatilis in the present study. The occupation of biogenic microhabitats (barnacles) was associated with a 1 degrees C decrease in body temperatures. Barnacles and micro habitats that experienced low sun exposure, low thermal fluctuations and low thermal maxima, could buffer the heat extremes encountered at high shore level especially on sun exposed microhabitats.

In an increasingly anthropic world, humans have profound impacts on the distribution and behaviour of marine fishes. The increased human presence has modified fishesf antipredator behavioural responses, and consequently flight decisions, as a function of their changed perceptions of risk. Understanding how fish react to human presence can help identify the most vulnerable functional groups/species and estimate impacts caused by human disturbance. Shoal and body size are known to influence fish flight initiation distance (FID; the distance between the predator and prey when the prey begins to escape); however, few studies attempt to test the moderators of these relationships. Here, we present a comprehensive meta]analysis evaluating FID of fish in response to human presence. Specifically, we investigated six candidate moderators that could influence the relationship between FID with shoal and body size. Our results showed that individual fish size was strongly and positively correlated with FID and the most important moderator that explained the variance in individual body size]FID relationship was shoaling behaviour. However, and somehow surprisingly, we detected no significant relationship between shoal size and FID. We discuss how these results can inform the development of fish conservation strategies and ultimately assist in the management of marine protected areas.

The accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and resulting ocean acidification represent a threat to marine ecosystems. While acid–base regulatory capacity is well developed in marine fish, allowing compensation of extra-cellular pH during short-term hypercapnia, the possible energetic costs of such regulation during long-term exposure remain to be established. In this study, juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were exposed from 2 days post-hatching to three different ocean acidification scenarios: control (present condition, $$ P_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }} $$ = 520 µatm, pH 7.9), moderate acidification ( $$ P_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }} $$ = 950 µatm, pH 7.7), and high acidification ( $$ P_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }} $$ = 1490 µatm, pH 7.5). After 1.5 years of exposure, fish aerobic metabolic capacities, as well as elements of their oxygen extraction and transport chain, were measured. Compared to control, $$ P_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }} $$ treatments did not affect fish standard metabolic rate (SMR). However, the most severe acidification condition was associated with a significantly elevated maximum metabolic rate (MMR).This was supported by heavier gill system and higher blood haemoglobin concentration. A reduction of maximum cardiac frequency (fHmax) during incremental warming of anaesthetized fish was also observed in both acidification scenarios. On the other hand, the critical oxygen level (O2crit), the minimum oxygen level required to sustain SMR, did not differ among groups. The increased MMR, associated with maintained SMR, suggests that acid–base compensatory processes, although not increasing maintenance costs, may affect components of bass homeostasis, resulting in new internal physico-chemical conditions. The possibility that these alterations influence metabolic pathways and physiological functions involved in fish aptitude to maximally transport oxygen is discussed.

The price of staying warm Among vertebrates, zebrafish and salamanders can regenerate their hearts, whereas adult mice and humans cannot. Hirose et al. analyzed diploid cardiomyocyte frequency as a proxy for cardiac regenerative potential across 41 vertebrate species (see the Perspective by Marchianò and Murry). They observed an inverse correlation of these cells with thyroid hormone concentrations during the ectotherm-to-endotherm transition. Mice with defects in thyroid hormone signaling retained significant heart regenerative capacity, whereas zebrafish exposed to excessive thyroid hormones exhibit impaired cardiac repair. Loss of heart regenerative ability in mammals may represent a trade-off for increases in metabolism necessary for the development of endothermy. Science , this issue p. 184 ; see also p. 123

© 2018 by the Ecological Society of America To fully comprehend and predict the impact of drivers of global change such as climate warming and pollution, integrated multi-trait approaches are needed. As organismal traits are often correlated, responses to stressors are expected to induce coordinated changes in many traits. A promising framework to study this is the pace of life syndrome (POLS), which predicts the integration of life history, behavioral, and physiological traits along a fast-slow continuum. Using an integrative multi-trait approach, we evaluated the presence of a POLS both within and across latitudes and how POLS patterns are affected by warming and metal pollution. We studied this in Ischnura elegans damselfly larvae of replicated low- and high-latitude populations that strongly differ in voltinism (three to four generations per year vs. one generation every two years) reared in a common-garden experiment at two temperatures. Across latitudes, life history, behavior, and physiology covaried in accordance with the POLS, with the fast-paced low-latitude damselflies characterized by a fast growth rate, high activity, and more explorative and risk-taking behavior, fast metabolic rate, and low investment in immune function (activity of phenoloxidase). This fast POLS strategy was associated with a higher sensitivity to metal exposure and a higher vulnerability to predation. Warming caused opposite responses between the latitudes consistent with differential thermal adaptation in growth rate, behavior, and oxidative stress parameters. Despite this, damselflies of both latitudes showed a consistent pattern in phenotypic correlations among traits that, moreover, was not affected by warming and metal exposure. Within latitudes, there was no full support for the POLS. More active larvae were more explorative and risk taking, which aligned with the fast-slow life history axis, but less strong than at the across-latitude level. Physiological traits were also integrated within latitudes, yet there was no unambiguous coupling with the fast-slow life history continuum. The consistent syndrome structure, if underpinned by genetic correlations, may restrict the independent evolution of individual traits, yet may not necessarily constrain adaptive evolution of integrated trait sets. This is because the covariance pattern was to a large extent similar across latitudes and within latitudes, suggesting adaptive trait integration guiding adaptive evolution of trait sets along the fast-slow continuum. ispartof: ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS vol:89 issue:1 status: published

African naked mole-rats were likely the first mammals to evolve eusociality, and thus required adaptations to conserve energy and tolerate the low oxygen (O-2) and high carbon dioxide (CO2) of a densely populated fossorial nest. As hypercapnia is known to suppress neuronal activity, we studied whether naked mole-rats might demonstrate energy savings in GABAergic inhibition. Using whole-colony behavioral monitoring of captive naked mole-rats, we found a durable nest, characterized by high CO2 levels, where all colony members spent the majority of their time. Analysis of the naked mole-rat genome revealed, uniquely among mammals, a histidine point variation in the neuronal potassium-chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2). A histidine missense substitution mutation at this locus in the human ortholog of KCC2, found previously in patients with febrile seizures and epilepsy, has been demonstrated to diminish neuronal Cl- extrusion capacity, and thus impairs GABAergic inhibition. Seizures were observed, without pharmacological intervention, in adult naked mole-rats exposed to a simulated hyperthermic surface environment, causing systemic hypocapnic alkalosis. Consistent with the diminished function of KCC2, adult naked mole-rats demonstrate a reduced efficacy of inhibition that manifests as triggering of seizures at room temperature by the GABA(A) receptor (GABA(A)R) positive allosteric modulator diazepam. These seizures are blocked in the presence of nest-like levels of CO2 and likely to be mediated through GABA(A)R activity, based on in vitro recordings. Thus, altered GABAergic inhibition adds to a growing list of adaptations in the naked mole-rat and provides a plausible proximate mechanism for nesting behavior, where a return to the colony nest restores GABA-mediated inhibition.

1. Abstract The world’s oceans are acidifying and warming due to increasing amounts of atmospheric CO2. Thermal tolerance of fish much depends on the cardiovascular ability to supply the tissues with oxygen. The heart itself is highly dependent on oxygen and heart mitochondria thus might play a key role in shaping an organism’s tolerance to temperature. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of acute and chronic warming on respiratory capacities of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) heart mitochondria. We hypothesized that acute warming would impair mitochondrial respiratory capacities, but be compensated after long-term. Increasing PCO2 may cause intracellular changes, likely further constricting cellular energy metabolism. We found increased leak respiration rates in acutely warmed heart mitochondria of cold-conditioned fish in comparison to measurements at their rearing temperature, suggesting a lower aerobic capacity to synthesize ATP. However, thermal acclimation led to increased mitochondrial functionality, e.g. higher RCRo in heart mitochondria of warm-conditioned compared to cold-conditioned fish. Exposure to high PCO2 synergistically amplified the effects of acute and long-term warming, but did not result in changes by itself. We explained the high ability to maintain mitochondrial function under OA with the fact that seabass are moving between various environmental conditions. Improved mitochondrial capacities after warm conditioning could be due to the origin of this species in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Our results also indicate that seabass are not yet fully adapted to the colder temperatures in their northern distribution range and might benefit from warmer temperatures. Summary statement Mitochondria of juvenile European sea bass hearts are impaired by acute warming, but seem to benefit from acclimation to warmer temperatures, they are only marginally impacted by ocean acidification. 2. List of abbreviations Δ500: Acidification condition (ambient PCO2 + 500 µatm) Δ1000: Acidification condition (ambient PCO2 + 1000 µatm) A: Ambient PCO2 condition C: Cold life conditioned group CI: Complex I of the electron transport system CII: Complex II of the electron transport system CIV: Complex IV of the electron transport system dph: Days post hatch IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Leak-CI: State 4 respiration of complex I MS-222: Tricaine methane sulfonate OA: Ocean acidification OAW: Ocean acidification and warming OW: Ocean warming OXPHOS: Full state 3 respiration of the electron transport system OXPHOS-CI: State 3 respiration of complex I OXPHOS-CII: State 3 respiration of complex II OXPHOS-cytC: State 3 respiration after addition of cytochrome c PCO2: Partial pressure of CO2 RCP: Representative concentration pathway RCRo: Respiratory control ratio State 4o: State 4 respiration after addition of oligomycin W: Warm life conditioned group

Aim: The tendency for animals at higher latitudes to be larger (Bergmann's rule) is generally explained by recourse to latitudinal effects on ambient temperature and the food supply, but these receive only mixed support and do not explain observations of the inverse to Bergmann's rule. Our aim was to better understand how ecological variables might influence body size and thereby explain this mixed support. Location: World-wide. Methods: Previous explanations do not allow for the selective pressure exerted by the trade-off between predation and starvation, which we incorporate in a model of optimal body size and energy storage of a generalized homeotherm. In contrast to existing arguments, we concentrate on survival over winter when the food supply is poor and can be interrupted for short periods. Results: We use our model to assess the logical validity of the heat conservation hypothesis and show that it must allow for the roles of both food availability and predation risk. We find that whether the effect of temperature on body size is positive or negative depends on temperature range, predator density, and the likelihood of long interruptions to foraging. Furthermore, changing day length explains differing effects of altitude and latitude on body size, leading to opposite predictions for nocturnal and diurnal endotherms. Food availability and ambient temperature can have counteracting selective pressures on body mass, and can lead to a non-monotonic relationship between latitude and size, as observed in several studies. Main conclusions: Our work provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships between the costs and benefits of large body size and eco-geographical patterns among endotherms world-wide.

In oviparous species, the embryonic environmentparticularly temperaturecan alter phenotype and survival of an individual by affecting its size as well as its metabolic rate. Previous studies have shown that incubation temperatures can affect sex ratio in birds; specifically, low incubation temperatures were shown to produce a male-biased sex ratio in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) possibly because of a higher pre- or postnatal mortality rate in females. We hypothesized that sexes respond differently to suboptimal incubation temperature, leading to a male-biased sex ratio. To test this hypothesis, zebra finch eggs were incubated at 36.1 degrees, 37.5 degrees, or 38.5 degrees C and hatching success, hatchling mass, residual yolk mass, and pectoralis mass were measured. We found that while hatchling mass was similar between the sexes at 37.5 degrees C, female hatchlings were heavier at 36.1 degrees C, and male hatchlings were heavier at 38.5 degrees C. Pectoralis muscle mass was similar between the sexes at 36.1 degrees C; however, at 37.5 degrees C, female pectoralis mass was heavier at hatching than that of males. Females at 37.5 degrees C also had lower residual yolk at hatching compared with males, reflecting a higher use of energy by female embryos compared with male embryos at this temperature. In contrast, residual yolk was similar between the sexes at 36.1 degrees and 38.5 degrees C. Our results suggest that there are sex differences in how incubation temperature alters organ mass and yolk energy reserve; this can lead to a difference in survival at different incubation temperatures between the sexes. Taken together with previous studies showing that females alter incubation behavior with ambient temperature, rising ambient temperatures could impact phenotype and survival of avian offspring in a sex-specific manner.

Hibernation is an effective energy conservation strategy that has been widely adopted by animals to cope with unpredictable environmental conditions. The liver, in particular, plays an important role in adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Mammalian studies have revealed that many genes involved in metabolism are differentially expressed during the hibernation period. However, the differentiation in global gene expression between active and torpid states in amphibians remains largely unknown. We analyzed gene expression in the liver of active and torpid Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) using RNA-sequencing. In addition, we evaluated the differential expression of genes between females and males. A total of 1399 genes were identified as differentially expressed between active and torpid females. Of these, the expressions of 395 genes were significantly elevated in torpid females and involved genes responding to stresses, as well as contractile proteins. The expression of 1004 genes were significantly down-regulated in torpid females, most which were involved in metabolic depression and shifts in the energy utilization. Of the 715 differentially expressed genes between active and torpid males, 337 were up-regulated and 378 down-regulated. A total of 695 genes were differentially expressed between active females and males, of which 655 genes were significantly down-regulated in males. Similarly, 374 differentially expressed genes were identified between torpid females and males, with the expression of 252 genes (mostly contractile proteins) being significantly down-regulated in males. Our findings suggest that expression of many genes in the liver of B. gargarizans are down-regulated during hibernation. Furthermore, there are marked sex differences in the levels of gene expression, with females showing elevated levels of gene expression as compared to males, as well as more marked down-regulation of gene-expression in torpid males than females.

The extant diversity and rich fossil record of cetaceans provides an extraordinary evolutionary context for investigating the relationship between form, function and ecology. The transition from terrestrial to marine ecosystems is associated with a complex suite of morphological and physiological adaptations that were required for a fully aquatic mammalian life history. Two specific functional innovations that characterize the two great clades of cetaceans, echolocation in toothed whales (Odontoceti) and filter feeding in baleen whales (Mysticeti), provide a powerful comparative framework for integrative studies. Both clades exhibit gigantism in multiple species, but we posit that large body size may have evolved for different reasons and in response to different ecosystem conditions. Although these foraging adaptations have been studied using a combination of experimental and tagging studies, the precise functional drivers and consequences of morphological change within and among these lineages remain less understood. Future studies that focus at the interface of physiology, ecology and paleontology will help elucidate how cetaceans became the largest predators in aquatic ecosystems worldwide.

Large comparative studies in animal ecology, physiology and evolution often use animals reared in the laboratory for many generations; however, the relevance of these studies hinges on the assumption that laboratory populations are still representative for their wild living conspecifics. In this study, we investigate whether laboratory-maintained and freshly collected animal populations are fundamentally different and whether data from laboratory-maintained animals are valid to use in large comparative investigations of ecological and physiological patterns. Here, we obtained nine species of Drosophila with paired populations of laboratory-maintained and freshly collected flies. These species, representing a range of ecotypes, were assayed for four stress-tolerance, two body-size traits and six life-history traits. For all of these traits, we observed small differences in species-specific comparisons between field and laboratory populations; however, these differences were unsystematic and laboratory maintenance did not eclipse fundamental species characteristics. To investigate whether laboratory maintenance influence the general patterns in comparative studies, we correlated stress tolerance and life-history traits with environmental traits for the laboratory-maintained and freshly collected populations. Based on this analysis, we found that the comparative physiological and ecological trait correlations are similar irrespective of provenience. This finding is important for comparative biology in general because it validates comparative meta-analyses based on laboratory-maintained populations.

It has been argued that tropical ectotherms are more vulnerable to the projected temperature increases than their temperate relatives, because they already live closer to their upper temperature limit. Here we examine the effects of a temperature increase in environmental temperature to 6 degrees C above the present day median temperature (27 degrees C) in the freshwater air-breathing fish Chitala ornata, on aspects of its respiratory physiology in both normoxia and in hypoxia. We found no evidence of respiratory impairment with elevated temperature. The standard metabolic rate (SMR) and routine metabolic rate (RMR) in the two temperatures in normoxia and hypoxia increased with Q(10) ovalues between 2.3 and 2.9, while the specific dynamic action (SDA) and its coefficient increased from 7.8 to 14.7% in 27 degrees C and 33 degrees C, respectively. In addition, Chitala ornata exhibited significantly improved growth at the elevated temperature in both hypoxic and normoxic water. While projected temperature increases may negatively impact other essential aspects in this animal's environment, we see no evidence of a negative impact on this species itself.

WOS:000451996200012; International audience; Mitochondrial efficiency is typically taken to represent an animal's capacity to convert its resources into ATP. However, the term mitochondrial efficiency, as currently used in the literature, can be calculated as either the respiratory control ratio, RCR (ratio of mitochondrial respiration supporting ATP synthesis to that required to offset the proton leak) or as the amount of ATP generated per unit of oxygen consumed, ATP/O ratio. The question of how flexibility in mitochondrial energy properties (i.e., in rates of respiration to support ATP synthesis and offset proton leak, and in the rate of ATP synthesis) affects these indices of mitochondrial efficiency has tended to be overlooked. Furthermore, little is known of whether the RCR and ATP/O ratio vary in parallel, either among individuals or in response to environmental conditions. Using data from brown trout Salmo trutta we show that experimental conditions affect mitochondrial efficiency, but the apparent direction of change depends on the index chosen: a reduction in food availability was associated with an increased RCR (i.e., increased efficiency) but a decreased ATP/O ratio (decreased efficiency) in liver mitochondria. Moreover, there was a negative correlation across individuals held in identical conditions between their RCR and their ATP/O ratio. These results show that the choice of index of mitochondrial efficiency can produce different, even opposing, conclusions about the capacity of the mitochondria to produce ATP. Neither ratio is necessarily a complete measure of efficiency of ATP production in the living animal (RCR because it contains no assessment of ATP production, and ATP/O because it contains no assessment of respiration to offset the proton leak). Consequently, we suggest that a measure of mitochondrial efficiency obtained nearer to conditions where respiration simultaneously offsets the proton leak and produce ATP would be sensitive to changes in both proton leakage and ATP production, and is thus likely to be more representative of the state of the mitochondria in vivo.

SummaryThe interest in brown adipose tissue (BAT) as a target to combat metabolic disease has recently been renewed with the discovery of functional BAT in humans. In rodents, BAT can be activated by bile acids, which activate type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) in BAT via the G-coupled protein receptor TGR5, resulting in increased oxygen consumption and energy expenditure. Here we examined the effects of oral supplementation of the bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) on human BAT activity. Treatment of 12 healthy female subjects with CDCA for 2 days resulted in increased BAT activity. Whole-body energy expenditure was also increased upon CDCA treatment. In vitro treatment of primary human brown adipocytes derived with CDCA or specific TGR5 agonists increased mitochondrial uncoupling and D2 expression, an effect that was absent in human primary white adipocytes. These findings identify bile acids as a target to activate BAT in humans.

Background and rationale for the study. FGF19/15 is a gut-derived hormone presumably governing bile acid (BA) synthesis and gallbladder (GB) refilling. FGF19 mRNA is present in human GB cholangiocytes (hGBECs); however, the physiological significance of GB-derived FGF19 remains unknown. We investigated whether hGBECs secrete FGF19 and the effects of cholecystectomy on serum FGF19 ([FGF19](s)) and BA synthesis. Material and methods. FGF19 expression was assessed by qRT-PCRs and immunostaining in hGBECs and terminal ileum, and quantified in bile and serum by ELISA. Basal and BA (chenodexycholic acid, CDCA) induced FGF19 expression and secretion was analyzed in primary cultured hGBECs and GB-dl cell line. Pre and postprandial serum changes in [FGF19](s), 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholestene-3-one (C4, a marker of BA synthesis) and BA were evaluated in plasma of gallstone disease patients at baseline and after cholecystectomy. Results. FGF19 mRNA levels were similar to 250-fold higher in hGBECs compared to distal ileum. GB bile contained similar to 23-fold higher FGF19 levels compared to serum (p = 2-fold (p

The purpose of this study was to assess whether calibrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify regional variances in cerebral hemodynamics caused by vascular disease. For this, arterial spin labeling (ASL)/blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI was performed in 11 patients (65±7 years) and 14 controls (66±4 years). Cerebral blood flow (CBF), ASL cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), BOLD CVR, oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) were evaluated. The CBF was 34±5 and 36±11 mL/100 g per minute in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory of the patients and the controls. Arterial spin labeling CVR was 44±20 and 53±10% per 10 mm Hg ΔEtCO2 in patients and controls. The BOLD CVR was lower in the patients compared with the controls (1.3±0.8 versus 2.2±0.4% per 10 mm Hg ΔEtCO2, P < 0.01). The OEF was 41±8% and 38±6%, and the CMRO2 was 116±39 and 111±40 μmol/100 g per minute in the patients and the controls. The BOLD CVR was lower in the ipsilateral than in the contralateral MCA territory of the patients (1.2±0.6 versus 1.6±0.5% per 10 mmHg ΔEtCO2, P < 0.01). Analysis was hampered in three patients due to delayed arrival time. Thus, regional hemodynamic impairment was identified with calibrated MRI. Delayed arrival artifacts limited the interpretation of the images in some patients.

The FTO gene harbors variation with the strongest effect on adiposity and obesity risk. Previous data support a role for FTO variation in influencing food intake. We conducted a combined analysis of 16,094 boys and girls aged 1–18 years from 14 studies to examine the following: 1) the association between the FTO rs9939609 variant (or a proxy) and total energy and macronutrient intake; and 2) the interaction between the FTO variant and dietary intake, and the effect on BMI. We found that the BMI-increasing allele (minor allele) of the FTO variant was associated with increased total energy intake (effect per allele = 14.3 kcal/day [95% CI 5.9, 22.7 kcal/day], P = 6.5 × 10−4), but not with protein, carbohydrate, or fat intake. We also found that protein intake modified the association between the FTO variant and BMI (interactive effect per allele = 0.08 SD [0.03, 0.12 SD], P for interaction = 7.2 × 10−4): the association between FTO genotype and BMI was much stronger in individuals with high protein intake (effect per allele = 0.10 SD [0.07, 0.13 SD], P = 8.2 × 10−10) than in those with low intake (effect per allele = 0.04 SD [0.01, 0.07 SD], P = 0.02). Our results suggest that the FTO variant that confers a predisposition to higher BMI is associated with higher total energy intake, and that lower dietary protein intake attenuates the association between FTO genotype and adiposity in children and adolescents.

The proportion of time an animal spends actively foraging in a day determines its long-term fitness. Here, we derive a general mathematical model for the scaling of this activity time with body size in consumers. We show that this scaling can change from positive (increasing with size) to negative (decreasing with size) if the detectability and availability of preferred prey sizes is a limiting factor. These predictions are supported by a global dataset on 73 terrestrial carnivore species from 8 families spanning >3 orders of magnitude in size. Carnivores weighing ∼5 kg experience high foraging costs because their diets include significant proportions of relatively small (invertebrate) prey. As a result, they show an increase in activity time with size. This shifts to a negative scaling in larger carnivores as they shift to foraging on less costly vertebrate prey. Our model can be generalized to other classes of terrestrial and aquatic consumers and offers a general framework for mechanistically linking body size to population fitness and vulnerability in consumers.

Early-life food conditions can have profound impact on adult behavioural performance. In song birds, early-life food conditions affect adult physiology and cognitive performance such as song learning and spatial learning. However, effects on reproductive behaviour other than song, such as visual courtship display, pair formation, and egg laying, which are all important determinants of fitness, received hardly any attention. In this study, rock pigeons Columba livia were raised either in a food ad-libitum or at impoverished (quality) and restricted (quantity) food conditions, in which the latter was applied for either 26 or 8 d after hatching and in slightly different severity. Their growth and reproductive behaviour in adulthood was analysed under semi-natural conditions. Impoverished and restricted food (IRF) negatively affected adult body mass, pair-bonding behaviour, courtship (males) and being courted (females), and induced incomplete compensatory growth. Further analyses suggest that the effects of IRF on behaviour could result from the strong effects on body mass, and perhaps also from detrimental effects of compensatory growth. These results provide evidence that adverse early-life condition can negatively impact on reproductive success, as suggested by the significant effect on egg production, which will very likely lead to a lower life-time fitness. The detrimental effects on male courtship indicate that IRF can affect sexual displays via other pathways than by impaired cognition as has been suggested for bird song, since courtship in the pigeons is not learned.

Organisms with complex life-cycles acquire essential nutrients as juveniles, and hence even a short-term food stress during development can impose serious fitness costs apparent in adults. We used the Glanville fritillary butterfly to investigate the effects of larval food stress on adult performance under semi-natural conditions in a population enclosure. We were specifically interested in whether the negative effects observed were due to body mass reduction only or whether additional effects unrelated to pupal mass were evident. The two sexes responded differently to the larval food stress. In females, larval food stress reduced pupal mass and reproductive performance. The reduced reproductive performance was partially mediated by pupal mass reduction. Food stressed females also had reduced within-patch mobility, and this effect was not dependent on pupal mass. Conversely, food stress had no effect on male pupal mass, suggesting a full compensation via prolonged development time. Nonetheless, food stressed males were less likely to sire any eggs, potentially due to changes in their territorial behavior, as indicated by food stress also increasing male within-patch mobility (i.e., patrolling behavior). When males did sire eggs, the offspring number and viability were unaffected by male food stress treatment. Viability was in general higher for offspring sired by lighter males. Our study highlights how compensatory mechanisms after larval food stress can act in a sex-specific manner and that the alteration in body mass is only partially responsible for the reduced adult performance observed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00442-017-3903-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Many adult traits in Drosophila melanogaster show phenotypic plasticity, and the effects of diet on traits such as lifespan and reproduction are well explored. Although plasticity in response to food is still present in older flies, it is unknown how sustained environmental variation affects life-history traits. Here, we explore how such life-long fluctuations of food supply affect weight and survival in groups of flies and affect weight, survival and reproduction in individual flies. In both experiments, we kept adults on constant high or low food and compared these to flies that experienced fluctuations of food either once or twice a week. For these 'yoyo' groups, the initial food level and the duration of the dietary variation differed during adulthood, creating four 'yoyo' fly groups. In groups of flies, survival and weight were affected by adult food. However, for individuals, survival and reproduction, but not weight, were affected by adult food, indicating that single and group housing of female flies affects life-history trajectories. Remarkably, both the manner and extent to which life-history traits varied in relation to food depended on whether flies initially experienced high or low food after eclosion. We therefore conclude that the expression of life-history traits in adult life is affected not only by adult plasticity, but also by early adult life experiences. This is an important but often overlooked factor in studies of life-history evolution and may explain variation in life-history experiments.

Maternal hormones are important mediators of prenatal maternal effects. Although many experimental studies have demonstrated their potency in shaping offspring phenotypes, we know remarkably little about their adaptive value. Using long-term data on a wild collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) population, we show that natural selection acts in opposite ways on two maternally derived androgens, yolk androstenedione (A4) and yolk testosterone (T). High yolk A4 concentrations are associated with higher fitness, whereas high yolk T concentrations are associated with lower fitness. Natural selection thus favours females that produce eggs with high A4 and low T concentrations. Importantly, however, there exists a positive (non-genetic) correlation between A4 and T, which suggests that females are limited in their ability to reach this adaptive optimum. Thereby, these results provide strong evidence for an adaptive value of differential maternal androgen deposition, and a mechanistic explanation for the maintenance of variation in maternal investment in the wild.

Breath-by-breath levels of O2 and CO2 may be used to determine human metabolic rate which, in turn, is related to the problem of obesity. A sensor system has been designed to not only monitor O2 and CO2 in breath, but also temperature, relative humidity (RH), volumetric flow-rate, and trace levels of CO. Our system targets energy expenditure measurements to within a 1% tolerance. A data driven modelling approach has been adopted to characterise the gas sensors at gas concentrations found in inhaled air and exhaled breath. Data were collected for model fitting from experiments performed on an automated gas testing rig. Bi-exponential curves were fitted to the sensor data using partial least squares (PLS) regression. These fits show that the O2 sensor functions close to the target accuracy, with a 95% confidence interval, whereas the CO2 sensor performs less well (70%). Development of a microcontroller interface combined with work on new low-power CMOS sensors will eventually lead to a miniature low-cost system for mobile phone application.

Feeding a diet high in fat and sucrose (HFS) during pregnancy and lactation is known to increase susceptibility to develop metabolic derangements later in life. A trait for increased behavioral activity may oppose these effects, since this would drain energy from milk produced to be made available to the offspring. To investigate these interactions, we assessed several components of behavioral energetics during lactation in control mice (C) and in mice of two lines selectively bred for high wheel-running activity (S1, S2) subjected to a HFS diet or a low-fat (LF) diet. Energy intake, litter growth, and milk energy output at peak lactation (MEO; assessed by subtracting maternal metabolic rate from energy intake) were elevated in HFS-feeding dams across all lines compared with the LF condition, an effect that was particularly evident in the S dams. This effect was not preceded by improved lactation behaviors assessed between postnatal days 1 and 7 (PND 1–7). In fact, S1 dams had less high-quality nursing, and S2 dams showed poorer pup retrieval than C dams during PND 1–7, and S dams had generally higher levels of physical activity at peak lactation. These data demonstrate that HFS feeding increases MEO underlying increased litter and pup growth, particularly in mice with a trait for increased behavioral physical activity.