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Macroevolution of Steep Interspecific Metabolic Allometry in an Old Insect Order

Schönberger, Daniel ; Metz, Moa ; Tsuboi, Masahito LU ; Bianco, Giuseppe LU orcid ; DeVries, Zachary C. ; Nord, Andreas LU orcid and Svensson, Erik I. LU orcid (2026) In Ecology Letters 29(5).
Abstract

Endotherms exhibit metabolic allometric slopes of 0.75, which were long viewed as evolutionary constraints but which are increasingly questioned. In insects, allometric relationships between body size and metabolism are understudied. We used comparative phylogenetic methods to investigate macroevolution of metabolic allometry in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), an insect group with a unique ecology and dramatic macroevolution of body size. We found an interspecific allometric slope close to one (isometry). Metabolic rates evolved gradually with a weak pullback force and multiple shifts in metabolic optima, body size and flight behaviour. Cell size, nucleus size and body surface area did not explain this steep allometric slope.... (More)

Endotherms exhibit metabolic allometric slopes of 0.75, which were long viewed as evolutionary constraints but which are increasingly questioned. In insects, allometric relationships between body size and metabolism are understudied. We used comparative phylogenetic methods to investigate macroevolution of metabolic allometry in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), an insect group with a unique ecology and dramatic macroevolution of body size. We found an interspecific allometric slope close to one (isometry). Metabolic rates evolved gradually with a weak pullback force and multiple shifts in metabolic optima, body size and flight behaviour. Cell size, nucleus size and body surface area did not explain this steep allometric slope. Instead, metabolic isometry likely reflects the high aerobic demands of flight and evolutionary increases in body size via cell numbers rather than cell size. Our results challenge traditional allometric theories and suggest that metabolic allometries can and do evolve, with far-reaching implications for insect size evolution.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
allometry, bayou, evolvability, insects, macroevolution, metabolism, natural selection, phylogenetic comparative methods, phylogenetic path analysis, phytools
in
Ecology Letters
volume
29
issue
5
article number
e70399
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105039302658
  • pmid:42143603
ISSN
1461-023X
DOI
10.1111/ele.70399
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e6e00d39-2dd6-463f-b9c2-4af303dbb7ec
date added to LUP
2026-08-24 13:38:16
date last changed
2026-08-31 09:52:12
@article{e6e00d39-2dd6-463f-b9c2-4af303dbb7ec,
  abstract     = {{<p>Endotherms exhibit metabolic allometric slopes of 0.75, which were long viewed as evolutionary constraints but which are increasingly questioned. In insects, allometric relationships between body size and metabolism are understudied. We used comparative phylogenetic methods to investigate macroevolution of metabolic allometry in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), an insect group with a unique ecology and dramatic macroevolution of body size. We found an interspecific allometric slope close to one (isometry). Metabolic rates evolved gradually with a weak pullback force and multiple shifts in metabolic optima, body size and flight behaviour. Cell size, nucleus size and body surface area did not explain this steep allometric slope. Instead, metabolic isometry likely reflects the high aerobic demands of flight and evolutionary increases in body size via cell numbers rather than cell size. Our results challenge traditional allometric theories and suggest that metabolic allometries can and do evolve, with far-reaching implications for insect size evolution.</p>}},
  author       = {{Schönberger, Daniel and Metz, Moa and Tsuboi, Masahito and Bianco, Giuseppe and DeVries, Zachary C. and Nord, Andreas and Svensson, Erik I.}},
  issn         = {{1461-023X}},
  keywords     = {{allometry; bayou; evolvability; insects; macroevolution; metabolism; natural selection; phylogenetic comparative methods; phylogenetic path analysis; phytools}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Ecology Letters}},
  title        = {{Macroevolution of Steep Interspecific Metabolic Allometry in an Old Insect Order}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.70399}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/ele.70399}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}