Eco-Evolutionary Trends in Metabolic Trait Diversity

Evolutionary constraints and environmental variation can generate trait diversity over various spatial and temporal scales. We’re especially interested in patterns of diversity in metabolic rates, aerobic performance, and environmental sensitivities across species.

Our work in this theme often uses literature syntheses and meta-analyses, and has documented how broad-scale differences in species’ lifestyles (e.g. pelagic versus benthic, active versus sluggish) have affected species-level diversity and the underlying morphological and biochemical adaptations that generate this variation.

example papers:

Dahms, C, Killen, SS. 2023. Temperature change effects on marine fish range shifts: a meta-analysis of ecological and methodological predictors. Global Change Biology. 00:00-00. PDF

Fu, SJ, Dong, YW, Killen SS. 2022. Aerobic scope in fishes with different lifestyles and across habitats: Trade-offs among hypoxia tolerance, swimming performance and digestion. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A. 272: 111277. PDF

Nati, J.J.H., Svendsen, M.B.S., Marras, S., Killen, S.S., Steffensen J.F., McKenzie, D.J., Domenici, P. 2021. Intraspecific variation in thermal tolerance differs between tropical and temperate fishes. Scientific Reports. 11: 21272.

Auer, S., Killen, S.S., Rezende, E. 2017. Resting versus active: a meta-analysis of the intra- and inter-specific associations between minimum, sustained, and maximum metabolic rates in vertebrates. Functional Ecology. 31: 1728–1738. PDF

Nati, J.J.H, Lindström, J., Halsey, L.G., Killen, S.S. 2016. Is there a trade-off between peak performance and performance breadth across temperatures for aerobic scope in teleost fishes? Biology Letters. 12: 20160191. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0191 PDF

Killen, S.S., Glazier, D.G., Rezende, E.L., Clark, T.D., Atkinson, D., Willener, A., Halsey, L.G. 2016. Ecological influences and morphological correlates of resting and maximal metabolic rates across teleost fish species. American Naturalist. 187:592-606 DOI: 10.1086/685893 PDF

Killen, S.S., Atkinson, D., Glazier, D.S. 2010. The scaling of metabolic rate with body mass in fishes depends on lifestyle and temperature. Ecology Letters. 13: 184-193. PDF