Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39626764›Full record

ArticleBiology letters2024

Biologging in a free-ranging mammal reveals apparent energetic trade-offs among physiological and behavioural components of the acute-phase response.

Austin Z T Allison, Helen E Chmura, Cory T Williams

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biology letters, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. From electrocardiography to energetics: methods, constraints, and practical considerations for heart rate biologging in small animals.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Austin Z T AllisonDepartment of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0786-5352
Helen E ChmuraRocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, 800 E. Beckwith Ave, Missoula, MT 59801, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6626-8534
Cory T WilliamsDepartment of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.

Funding

National Science FoundationUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The acute-phase response (APR) is an adaptive emergency life-history stage, wherein vertebrates exhibit fever and anorexia to survive an infection. However, induced immune responses are energetically costly, and sick animals may reduce physical activity to compensate. Tests of this predicted energetic trade-off in free-ranging animals are rare due to difficulties in measuring individual physiology and behaviour under immune challenge in natural settings. However, recent advances in biologging technology now make such studies possible. We surgically implanted heart rate/temperature loggers in free-ranging adult male Arctic ground squirrels, fitted the squirrels with collar-mounted accelerometers and light/temperature loggers, and injected animals with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to simulate an immune challenge. LPS-injected squirrels exhibited approximately 1°C overnight fevers accompanied by slightly elevated (10 bpm) heart rates; LPS-injected squirrels also spent 19% less of their time aboveground the following day and reduced overall movement by 40% compared with saline-injected controls. Thus, we found support for an energetic trade-off between functional immune responses (fever and anorexia) and lethargic sickness behaviour within the APR of a free-ranging mammal. Moreover, our results suggest animal-borne devices can play an important role in future studies of vertebrate immunity and disease dynamics.

Indexed as

Acute-Phase ReactionEnergy MetabolismHeart RateLipopolysaccharidesSciuridaeAnimalsAnorexiaBehavior, AnimalBody TemperatureFeverIllness BehaviorMaleLipopolysaccharidesaccelerometerfevergeolocatorheart rateimmune challengesickness behaviour

Identifiers

PMID39626764
PMCPMC11614546

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.