Data from: Multidimensional analyses of physical performance reveal a size dependent trade-off between suites of traits

1. Animal movement is multidimensional and complex, and to understand the motor system of wild animals in the context of their natural ecology, we must analyze how suites of performance traits both mutualistically and antagonistically affect function —a necessity highlighted by previous work on performance trade-offs. 2. Evidence from some studies of human athletes using multidimensional analyses of performance suggests that overall quality among individuals can mask functional trade-offs within them, yet no studies have tested this idea using wild animals. In this study, we investigated the possible mutualistic and antagonistic associations among eight different whole-animal performance traits in male and female northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus). 3. We detected trade-offs between pairs of performance traits when conducted on raw standardized data using both Pearson product moment correlations and partial correlation analyses. For example, grasp strength was negatively associated with beam running speed using both analyses, suggesting that morphological designs that enhance grasp strength simultaneously compromise an animal’s motor control or stability on a narrow beam. 4. In addition, we detected a trade-off between two distinct sets of performance traits; grasp strength, bite force and maximum oxygen consumption were negatively associated with jump acceleration and beam-running speed. This trade-off between sets of performance traits accounted for around one third of the total variance in performance among individuals and was primarily driven by the effects of body size on both groups of traits. Larger body sizes improved grasp strength, bite forces and maximum oxygen consumption rates but decreased jump accelerations and beam-running speeds. 5. Because the first component of a PCA based on all eight performance traits (PCAP) did not load in the same direction for all traits, this first dimension of the PCA did not represent an overall metric of motor performance. Rather we found that performance traits were differentially related to PCAPerf, which was highly associated with an individual’s body size. Or study highlights the importance of studying suites of traits when exploring the functional phenotype of organisms rather than just one or two dimensions of performance.1. 动物运动具有多维度性与复杂性。为在自然生态情境中阐明野生动物的运动系统机制，我们需解析各类性能性状（performance traits）如何以协同与拮抗的双重方式作用于机体功能；此前针对性能权衡（performance trade-offs）的相关研究已凸显了这一研究的必要性。 2. 过往针对人类运动员的多项多维性能分析研究显示，个体的整体运动表现水平可能掩盖其内部存在的功能权衡现象，但目前尚无研究以野生动物为对象验证这一假说。本研究以雌雄北袋鼬（Dasyurus hallucatus）为研究对象，探究了8种不同的整体动物性能性状间可能存在的协同与拮抗关联。 3. 本研究通过皮尔逊积矩相关分析（Pearson product moment correlations）与偏相关分析，对原始标准化数据进行处理后，检测到了成对性能性状间的权衡关系。例如，两种分析方法均显示抓握强度与窄杆奔跑速度呈负相关，这表明提升抓握强度的形态学设计，会同时损害动物在窄杆上的运动控制能力或平衡稳定性。 4. 此外，本研究还检测到了两类截然不同的性能性状组间存在权衡关系：抓握强度、咬合力与最大耗氧量，与跳跃加速度及窄杆奔跑速度呈负相关。这类性状组间的性能权衡可解释个体间约三分之一的总表现变异，其主要驱动因素为体型对两类性状组的影响：体型更大的个体，其抓握强度、咬合力与最大耗氧率均更高，但跳跃加速度与窄杆奔跑速度却更低。 5. 由于基于全部8种性能性状的主成分分析（Principal Component Analysis, PCA）的第一主成分（PCAP）并未在所有性状上呈现一致的载荷方向，因此该主成分维度无法代表运动性能的整体衡量指标。进一步分析发现，不同性能性状与PCAPerf的关联模式存在差异，而PCAPerf与个体体型高度相关。本研究强调，在探究生物体的功能表型（functional phenotype）时，应关注各类性能性状的整体组合，而非仅聚焦于1~2个性能维度。