Sampling Bias in Respirometry

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Abstract
Comparisons of the metabolic rates of species, populations, and treatment groups of animals are common. However, the data used in these comparisons may not be truly equivalent. We report the effects of varying (1) total time from which minimum metabolism is selected and (2) time over which metabolic rate is calculated (calculation interval) on estimates of oxygen consumption for Microtus agrestis and Apodemus sylvaticus. Oxygen consumption was measured at 10°, 20°, and 30° C, using open-circuit respirometry. The lowest 15 min of metabolism were 13% and 65% higher for Microtus and Apodemus, respectively, when selected from a total monitoring period of 30 min than when selected from a period of 6 h. This demonstrates the importance of standardizing the duration of time from which minimal estimates of metabolism are selected (i. e., the amount of time for which metabolism is measured). For Microtus, minimum oxygen consumption was 12% higher when calculated over 60 min than when calculated over 15 min. We suggest that analyses relying on minimal (e.g., basal) metabolic rates include calculation interval as a potential covariate.

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