Data from: Ecological influences and morphological correlates of resting and maximal metabolic rates across teleost fish species

Rates of aerobic metabolism vary considerably across evolutionary lineages, but little is known about the proximate and ultimate factors that generate and maintain this variability. Using data for 131 teleost fish species, we performed a large-scale phylogenetic comparative analysis of how interspecific variation in resting and maximum metabolic rates (RMR and MMR, respectively) is related to several ecological and morphological variables. Mass- and temperature-adjusted RMR and MMR are highly correlated along a continuum spanning a 30- to 40-fold range. Phylogenetic generalized least squares models suggest RMR and MMR are higher in pelagic species and that species with higher trophic levels exhibit elevated MMR. This variation is mirrored at various levels of structural organization: gill surface area, muscle protein content, and caudal fin aspect ratio (a proxy for activity) are positively related with aerobic capacity. Muscle protein content and caudal fin aspect ratio are also positively correlated with RMR. Hypoxia-tolerant lineages fall at the lower end of the metabolic continuum. Different ecological lifestyles are associated with contrasting levels of aerobic capacity, possibly reflecting the interplay between selection for increased locomotor performance on one hand and tolerance to low resource availability, particularly oxygen, on the other. These results support the aerobic capacity model of the evolution of endothermy, suggesting elevated body temperatures evolved as correlated responses to selection for high activity levels.有氧代谢速率在不同演化支系间存在显著差异，但目前对产生并维持这种差异的近因与远因仍知之甚少。本研究基于131种硬骨鱼（teleost）的数据，开展了大规模系统发育比较分析，探究静息代谢率（resting metabolic rate, RMR）与最大代谢率（maximum metabolic rate, MMR）的种间变异与若干生态、形态变量的关联关系。经质量与温度校正后的RMR与MMR在跨越30至40倍的连续区间内呈现高度相关。系统发育广义最小二乘（phylogenetic generalized least squares, PGLS）模型结果显示，远洋性物种的RMR与MMR水平更高，且营养层级更高的物种MMR显著升高。这种代谢差异在多个结构组织层级均有体现：鳃表面积、肌肉蛋白含量以及尾鳍长宽比（作为运动活性的替代指标）与有氧能力呈正相关。肌肉蛋白含量与尾鳍长宽比同样与RMR呈正相关。耐低氧演化支系位于代谢连续区间的低端。不同的生态生活型对应着迥异的有氧能力水平，这可能反映了两方面选择的相互作用：一方面是对更高运动性能的选择，另一方面是对低资源（尤其是低氧）耐受能力的选择。本研究结果支持关于恒温演化的有氧能力模型，提示体温升高是对高运动活性水平选择的协同演化响应。