Energy metabolism and animal personality

In this paper we show how animal personality could explain some of the large inter‐individual variation in resting metabolic rate (MR) and explore methodological and functional linkages between personality and energetics. Personality will introduce variability in resting MR measures because individuals consistently differ in their stress response, exploration or activity levels, all of which influence MR measurements made with respirometry and the doubly‐labelled water technique. Physiologists try to exclude these behavioural influences from resting MR measurements, but animal personality research indicates that these attempts are unlikely to be successful. For example, because reactive animals “freeze” when…

• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada