Energetically costly behaviour and the evolution of resting metabolic rate in insects

Abstract

1. A general hypothesis is presented to explain interspecific differences in size-independent resting metabolic rate. This hypothesis is based on a presumed trade-off between a low resting metabolism and adaptations of metabolism during activity. 2. With such a trade-off, selection to reduce resting metabolism is less intense in active species than in species where resting metabolism constitutes a large proportion of the daily metabolic costs. Those animals that spend more energy on activity should therefore have a higher resting metabolic rate than animals that spend less energy on activity. 3. A literature review reveals that flying insects have higher resting metabolic rates than species that use energetically less demanding types of locomotion. 4. Insects producing acoustic advertisement signals can be shown to have higher mass-independent resting metabolic rates than closely related species without this energetically demanding behaviour. 5. Literature data on vertebrate resting metabolic rates are also consistent with the presented hypothesis: the more energy animals spend on activity, the higher the mass-independent resting metabolic rate.