The energy cost of voluntary running in the weasel Mustela nivalis

Abstract

The small size and elongate shape of weasels (Mustela nivalis) probably evolved to facilitate movement within the burrow systems of prey species, but result in high energy costs of thermoregulation. In this study we measured metabolic rates of weasels during voluntary locomotion to determine whether energy costs of transport are also high in these unusually shaped mammals. In addition, we measured the lower and upper limits of aerobic metabolism [resting metabolic rate (RMR) and maximal oxygen consumption in forced exercise (VO2,max)], and used the wide size range of adult weasels to investigate the intraspecific scaling of energy metabolism. Finally, we combined measurements of energy use during running with radiotracking and doubly labeled water data from free-living weasels to estimate the importance of locomotor costs in daily energy budgets. We found that weasels have higher than predicted costs of running, largely because of an elevated intercept of the speed versus metabolic rate relationship. Running costs were strongly affected by the approximately fourfold range of body size in adults. As reported in other studies, the RMR of weasels was considerably higher than predicted from body mass. Maximal oxygen consumption was also higher than predicted, but factorial aerobic scope (VO2,max/RMR) was within the normal range for mammals. Intraspecific mass scaling of RMR and VO2,max did not differ from typical interspecific mammalian allometries. In wild weasels, locomotor costs comprised roughly 5% of daily energy expenditures; this low value was primarily a result of short travel times and distances. © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.