10.5061/DRYAD.K0V636G
Charters, Jordan E.
University of Queensland
Heiniger, Jaime
University of Queensland
Clemente, Christofer J.
University of Queensland
University of the Sunshine Coast
Cameron, Skye F.
University of Queensland
Nasir, Ami F. Amir Abdul
University of Queensland
Niehaus, Amanda C.
University of Queensland
Wilson, Robbie S.
University of Queensland
Data from: Multidimensional analyses of physical performance reveal a size
dependent trade-off between suites of traits
Dryad
dataset
2019
performance
2019-03-07T00:00:00Z
2019-03-07T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13115
55581 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Animal movement is multidimensional and complex, and to understand the
motor system of wild animals in the context of their natural ecology, we
must analyze how suites of performance traits both mutualistically and
antagonistically affect function —a necessity highlighted by previous work
on performance trade-offs. 2. Evidence from some studies of human athletes
using multidimensional analyses of performance suggests that overall
quality among individuals can mask functional trade-offs within them, yet
no studies have tested this idea using wild animals. In this study, we
investigated the possible mutualistic and antagonistic associations among
eight different whole-animal performance traits in male and female
northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus). 3. We detected trade-offs between
pairs of performance traits when conducted on raw standardized data using
both Pearson product moment correlations and partial correlation analyses.
For example, grasp strength was negatively associated with beam running
speed using both analyses, suggesting that morphological designs that
enhance grasp strength simultaneously compromise an animal’s motor control
or stability on a narrow beam. 4. In addition, we detected a trade-off
between two distinct sets of performance traits; grasp strength, bite
force and maximum oxygen consumption were negatively associated with jump
acceleration and beam-running speed. This trade-off between sets of
performance traits accounted for around one third of the total variance in
performance among individuals and was primarily driven by the effects of
body size on both groups of traits. Larger body sizes improved grasp
strength, bite forces and maximum oxygen consumption rates but decreased
jump accelerations and beam-running speeds. 5. Because the first component
of a PCA based on all eight performance traits (PCAP) did not load in the
same direction for all traits, this first dimension of the PCA did not
represent an overall metric of motor performance. Rather we found that
performance traits were differentially related to PCAPerf, which was
highly associated with an individual’s body size. Or study highlights the
importance of studying suites of traits when exploring the functional
phenotype of organisms rather than just one or two dimensions of
performance.
Data from:Multidimensional analyses of physical performance reveal a size
dependent trade-off between suites of traits.Morphology and performance
data.Chartersetal.2018data.xlsx