Data from: Energetic fitness: field metabolic rates assessed via 3D accelerometry complement conventional fitness metrics

1) Evaluating the fitness of organisms is an essential step towards understanding their responses to environmental change. Connections between energy expenditure and fitness have been postulated for nearly a century. However, testing this premise among wild animals is constrained by difficulties in measuring energy expenditure while simultaneously monitoring conventional fitness metrics such as survival and reproductive output. 2) We addressed this issue by exploring the functional links between field metabolic rate (FMR), body condition, sex, age and reproductive performance in a wild population. 3) We deployed 3D accelerometers on 115 Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) during four breeding seasons at one of the largest colonies of this species, Cape Crozier, on Ross Island, Antarctica. The demography of this population has been studied for the past 18 years. From accelerometry recordings, collected for birds of known age and breeding history, we determined the vector of the dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA) and used it as a proxy for FMR. 4) This allowed us to demonstrate relationships between FMR, a breeding quality index (BQI), and body condition. Notably, we found a significant quadratic relationship between mean VeDBA during foraging and BQI for experienced breeders, and individuals in better body condition showed lower rates of energy expenditure. 5) We conclude that using FMR as a fitness component complementary to more conventional fitness metrics will yield greater understanding of evolutionary and conservation physiology.

1) 评估生物体的适合度（fitness）是理解其对环境变化响应的核心环节。近一个世纪以来，学界便已提出能量消耗与适合度之间存在关联的假说。然而，在野生动物类群中验证这一前提却面临重重限制：难以在同步监测存活率、繁殖输出等常规适合度指标的前提下，精准测量其能量消耗水平。2) 本研究通过探究野生种群中野外代谢率（field metabolic rate, FMR）、身体状况（body condition）、性别、年龄与繁殖性能之间的功能关联，解决了上述研究难题。3) 我们在南极洲罗斯岛克罗泽角——该物种最大的繁殖种群之一——的4个繁殖季内，为115只阿德利企鹅（Pygoscelis adeliae）部署了三维加速度计。该种群的种群统计特征已被长期研究达18年之久。针对已知年龄与繁殖历史的个体所采集的加速度计记录数据，我们计算得到了动态身体加速度矢量（VeDBA），并将其作为野外代谢率的替代指标。4) 借此我们得以阐明野外代谢率、繁殖质量指数（breeding quality index, BQI）与身体状况三者间的关联。值得注意的是，我们发现：对于具有繁殖经验的个体，觅食阶段的平均VeDBA与繁殖质量指数之间存在显著的二次相关关系；身体状况更佳的个体，其能量消耗速率更低。5) 本研究最终得出结论：将野外代谢率作为常规适合度指标的补充适合度组分，能够帮助我们更深入地理解进化生理学与保护生理学。