Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Repeatability Of Maximal Aerobic Performance In Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Spermophilus Beldingi, M. A. Chappell, Gwendolyn C. Bachman, J. P. Odell
Repeatability Of Maximal Aerobic Performance In Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Spermophilus Beldingi, M. A. Chappell, Gwendolyn C. Bachman, J. P. Odell
School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications
1. The repeatability of a trait is a critical factor in determining how that trait is affected by natural selection. We examined the repeatability of a key physiological trait, maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), in a wild population of Belding’s Ground Squirrels, Spermophilus beldingi. VO2max is an integrated measure of organismal metabolic performance. It can be intuitively related to fitness because it sets an upper limit to sustainable power output during ecologically important activites such as locomotion and thermoregulatory heat production.
2. We used respirometry to determine VO2max during exercise and thermogenesis. Exercise VO …