Files and links (1)
PDFOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open Access
Dissertation
Allometric effects on metabolism, ecology, and biomechanics in avian and squamate reptiles
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
May 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001576
Abstract
The scaling of anatomical, physiological, and life history traits with organisms' body size is of great ecological significance, and an important scaling relationship is that between body size and metabolic rate. There have been many hypotheses as to why this relationship, resembling a line with a slope of 0.75, takes this shape. These include surface area, resource supply, resource demand, and life history-related theories, and some of them assert a universal slope for this scaling relationship. Despite this, variation has been observed in metabolic scaling relationships both within and among taxa of organisms, and ecological factors have significant influence on metabolic scaling. We show clade-specific variation within birds, with variation occurring in both the slope and intercept of linear models. Migratory tendency and diet also affect metabolic rate. We also compare the birds to the mammals in slope-intercept space, showing systematic diversity in scaling. We next demonstrate a similar clade-specific diversity in metabolic scaling within the squamate reptiles, which exhibit a wider array of slopes and intercepts than do the endotherms. We found that temperature sensitivity of metabolism varies among clades. Foraging strategy and habitat have significant bearing on the intercepts of these regressions. Since foraging is strongly tied with metabolism and energetic strategy, we then compare aspects of locomotor morphology (humeral midshaft) in lizards of different foraging styles (e.g., presumably different resting and active metabolisms). The less active ambush predators have more robust humeri than do the widely foraging predators, but the pattern is complicated.
Metrics
42 File views/ downloads
14 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Allometric effects on metabolism, ecology, and biomechanics in avian and squamate reptiles
- Creators
- Samantha Mary Giancarli
- Contributors
- Michael P. O'Connor (Advisor)Edward B. Daeschler (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- ix, 210 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology; College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991020503314604721