Data from: Cyclic bouts of extreme bradycardia counteract the highmetabolism of frugivorous bats

Active flight requires the ability to efficiently fuel bursts of costly locomotion while maximizing energy conservation during non-flying times. We took a multi-faceted approach to estimate how fruit-eating bats (Uroderma bilobatum) manage a high-energy lifestyle fueled primarily by fig juice. Miniaturized heart rate telemetry shows that they use a novel, cyclic, bradycardic state that reduces daily energetic expenditure by 10% and counteracts heart rates as high as 900 bpm during flight. Uroderma bilobatum support flight with some of the fastest metabolic incorporation rates and dynamic circulating cortisol in vertebrates. These bats will exchange fat reserves within 24 hr, meaning that they must survive on the food of the day and are at daily risk of starvation. Energetic flexibly in U. bilobatum highlights the fundamental role of ecological pressures on integrative energetic networks and the still poorly understood energetic strategies of animals in the tropics.

主动飞行需要兼具为高成本爆发性运动高效供能，以及在非飞行时段最大化节约能量的能力。我们采用多维度研究方法，评估了主要以榕果汁为能量来源的食果蝙蝠（Uroderma bilobatum）如何维持高能耗生活模式。小型化心率遥测结果显示，该物种会运用一种全新的周期性心动过缓状态，可将每日能量消耗降低10%，同时抵消飞行期间高达900次/分钟的高心率负荷。食果蝙蝠（Uroderma bilobatum）依靠脊椎动物中最快的代谢同化速率与动态循环皮质醇水平支撑飞行活动。这类蝙蝠可在24小时内完成脂肪储备的周转，这意味着它们必须完全依赖当日获取的食物存活，每日都面临饥饿风险。U. bilobatum的能量代谢灵活性凸显了生态压力对整合性能量代谢网络的核心作用，同时也反映出热带地区动物的能量策略至今仍未被充分认知。