Data from: Local adaptation reduces the metabolic cost of environmental warming

Metabolism shapes the ecosystem role of organisms by dictating their energy demand and nutrient recycling potential. Metabolic theory (MTE) predicts consumer metabolic and recycling rates will rise in a warming world, especially if body size declines, but it ignores potential for adaptation. We measured metabolic and nutrient excretion rates of individuals from populations of a globally invasive fish that recently colonized a wide temperature range (19-37°C) on two continents. Fish body size declined across our temperature gradient and MTE predicted large rises in population energy demand and nutrient recycling. However, we found that the allometry and temperature dependency of metabolism varied in a countergradient pattern with local temperature in a way that offset predictions of MTE. Scaling of nutrient excretion was more variable, and did not track temperature. Our results suggest that adaptation can reduce the metabolic cost of warming, increasing the prospects for population persistence under extreme warming scenarios.新陈代谢通过调控生物体的能量需求与养分循环潜能，塑造其在生态系统中的功能角色。代谢理论（Metabolic theory, MTE）预测：在气候变暖的背景下，消费者的代谢速率与养分循环速率将呈上升趋势，若生物体体型缩小，该效应会更为显著，但该理论未考虑适应性演化的潜在可能。我们针对一种近期在两大洲的19℃至37℃宽温度区间内成功定殖的全球性入侵鱼类的多个种群，测量了其个体的代谢速率与养分排泄速率。沿我们设置的温度梯度，鱼类体型逐渐减小，按照MTE的预测，种群的能量需求与养分循环速率本应大幅提升。然而本研究发现：代谢的异速生长（allometry）规律与温度依赖性会随局地温度呈现反梯度（countergradient）变化模式，该模式抵消了MTE的理论预测结果。养分排泄的尺度规律则表现出更强的变异性，且未随温度发生系统性变化。本研究结果表明，适应性演化能够降低气候变暖带来的代谢成本，提升极端变暖情景下种群存续的可能性。