Abstract
ABSTRACTScorpions are well known for their reduced resting metabolic rate (RMR) in comparison to typical arthropods. Since RMR is a key physiological trait linked with evolutionary fitness, it is expected that there may exist intraspecific RMR variation given the ecological and geographical heterogeneities across the distributional range of a species. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether RMR variation exists among scorpion populations. Here, we compared the RMR (VCO2) of 21 populations of the Chinese scorpion Mesobuthus martensii (Scorpiones: Buthidae) at 25°C after at least 3 months of laboratory acclimation. The following results were obtained. First, there was significant difference in RMR between sexes when body-weight effects were factored out. Second, significant local variation in RMR was detected by analyses of both variance and covariance, with one population showing significantly reduced RMR and another significantly increased RMR. Third, regression analysis indicated that the local mean temperature and mean annual days of rainfall were the two significant factors associated with the aforementioned inter-population difference in RMR. The implication of such an association was discussed.
Highlights
Scorpions are well known for their low resting metabolic rate (RMR) (Polis, 1990). Lighton et al (2001) showed that the RMR of scorpions was about a quarter of that of typical arthropods of similar body mass
A number of studies suggest that evolutionary trade-offs in RMR should be taken into account, because it can manifest as changes in the RMR-weight relationship, RMR-temperature relationship and even gas exchange patterns (e.g. Reinhold, 1999; Glazier, 2005; Terblanche et al, 2007; Gudowska et al, 2017)
Where RMR was in μl CO2 h−1, Weight in g and parameters were expressed in mean±standard errors of the mean (s.e.m.)
Summary
Scorpions are well known for their low resting metabolic rate (RMR) (Polis, 1990). Lighton et al (2001) showed that the RMR of scorpions was about a quarter of that of typical arthropods of similar body mass. Among the attempts to explain the RMR variations, the fundamental equation of metabolic theory of ecology (MTE), I=i0M3/4e−E/kT (where I is the metabolic rate, i0 is a normalization constant, M is the body mass, E is the mean activation energy, k is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the body temperature), posits that RMR variation is primarily a consequence of an organism’s body. A number of studies suggest that evolutionary trade-offs in RMR should be taken into account, because it can manifest as changes in the RMR-weight relationship, RMR-temperature relationship and even gas exchange patterns (e.g. Reinhold, 1999; Glazier, 2005; Terblanche et al, 2007; Gudowska et al, 2017)
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