Journal article
Energy Cost of Wheel Running in House Mice: Implications for Coadaptation of Locomotion and Energy Budgets
Physiological and biochemical zoology, Vol.72(2), pp.238-249
03/1999
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/116501
PMID: 10068627
Abstract
Laboratory house mice (Mus domesticus) that had experienced 10
generations of artificial selection for high levels of voluntary wheel running
ran about 70% more total revolutions per day than did mice from
random-bred control lines. The difference resulted primarily from
increased average velocities rather than from increased time spent running.
Within all eight lines (four selected, four control), females ran more than
males. Average daily running distances ranged from 4.4 km in control males to
11.6 km in selected females. Whole-animal food consumption was
statistically indistinguishable in the selected and control lines. However, mice
from selected lines averaged approximately 10% smaller in body mass, and
mass-adjusted food consumption was 4% higher in selected lines than in
controls. The incremental cost of locomotion (grams food/revolution), computed
as the partial regression slope of food consumption on revolutions run per day,
did not differ between selected and control mice. On a 24-h basis, the
total incremental cost of running (covering a distance) amounted to only 4.4% of
food consumption in the control lines and 7.5% in the selected ones. However,
the daily incremental cost of time active is higher (15.4% and 13.1% of total
food consumption in selected and control lines, respectively). If wheel running
in the selected lines continues to increase mainly by increases in velocity,
then constraints related to energy acquisition are unlikely to be an important
factor limiting further selective gain. More generally, our results suggest
that, in small mammals, a substantial evolutionary increase in daily movement
distances can be achieved by increasing running speed, without remarkable
increases in total energy expenditure.
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Details
- Title
- Energy Cost of Wheel Running in House Mice: Implications for Coadaptation of Locomotion and Energy Budgets
- Creators
- Pawel KotejaJohn G SwallowPatrick A CarterTheodore Garland, Jr
- Publication Details
- Physiological and biochemical zoology, Vol.72(2), pp.238-249
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of
- Publisher
- The University of Chicago Press
- Identifiers
- 99900548074901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article