Individual variation in metabolic reaction norms over ambient temperature causes low correlation between basal and standard metabolic rate

Abstract

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is often assumed to be indicative of the energy turnover at ambient temperatures (Ta) below the thermoneutral zone (SMR), but this assumption has remained largely untested. Using a new statistical approach, we quantified the consistency in nocturnal metabolic rate across a temperature range in zebra finches (N=3213 measurements on 407 individuals) living permanently in eight outdoor aviaries. Foraging conditions were either benign or harsh, and body mass and mass-adjusted BMR (BMRm) and SMR (SMRm) were lower in individuals living in a harsh foraging environment. The correlation between SMRm at different Ta was high (r=0.91), independent of foraging environment, showing that individuals are consistently ranked according to their SMRm. However, the correlations between BMRm and SMRm were always lower (average: r=0.29; range: 0