Austad S N, Fischer K E
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
J Gerontol. 1991 Mar;46(2):B47-53. doi: 10.1093/geronj/46.2.b47.
This study compared trends in body size, life span, metabolic rate, and ecology of bats and marsupials with those from mammals generally, using a 580 species data base. The linear logarithmic relationship between mammalian body mass and maximum longevity, deleting bats and marsupials, is used as a standard against which to measure life spans of particular mammal groups. Bats have maximum life spans a minimum of 3 times those of nonflying eutherians--a trend resulting from neither low basal metabolic rate, the ability to enter torpor, nor large relative brain size. Marsupials live about 80% as long as nonflying eutherians despite averaging lower basal metabolic rates; similarly, there is no effect of heterothermy or relative brain size. These results directly conflict with predictions of both "rate of living" and brain-size mediated theories of aging. However, they are consistent with an evolutionary theory that posits exceptionally long life spans among mammals with reduced environmental vulnerability.
本研究使用一个包含580个物种的数据库，比较了蝙蝠和有袋动物在体型、寿命、代谢率及生态方面的趋势与一般哺乳动物的这些趋势。去除蝙蝠和有袋动物后，哺乳动物体重与最大寿命之间的线性对数关系被用作衡量特定哺乳动物群体寿命的标准。蝙蝠的最大寿命至少是非飞行真兽类动物的3倍——这一趋势既不是由低基础代谢率、进入蛰伏状态的能力，也不是由相对较大的脑容量导致的。有袋动物的寿命约为非飞行真兽类动物的80%，尽管其基础代谢率平均较低；同样，异温性或相对脑容量对此也没有影响。这些结果与“生活率”理论和脑容量介导的衰老理论的预测直接冲突。然而，它们与一种进化理论一致，该理论认为在环境脆弱性降低的哺乳动物中存在超长寿命。
