Longman Daniel P, Macintosh Murray Alison, Roberts Rebecca, Oakley Saskia, Wells Jonathan C K, Stock Jay T
School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Evol Hum Sci. 2019 Dec 13;1:e16. doi: 10.1017/ehs.2019.13. eCollection 2019.
Both extinct and extant hominin populations display morphological features consistent with Bergmann's and Allen's Rules. However, the functional implications of the morphologies described by these ecological laws are poorly understood. We examined this through the lens of endurance running. Previous research concerning endurance running has focused on locomotor energetic economy. We considered a less-studied dimension of functionality, thermoregulation. The performance of male ultra-marathon runners ( = 88) competing in hot and cold environments was analysed with reference to expected thermoregulatory energy costs and the optimal morphologies predicted by Bergmann's and Allen's Rules. Ecogeographical patterning supporting both principles was observed in thermally challenging environments. Finishers of hot-condition events had significantly longer legs than finishers of cold-condition events. Furthermore, hot-condition finishers had significantly longer legs than those failing to complete hot-condition events. A degree of niche-picking was evident; athletes may have tailored their event entry choices in accordance with their previous race experiences. We propose that the interaction between prolonged physical exertion and hot or cold climates may induce powerful selective pressures driving morphological adaptation. The resulting phenotypes reduce thermoregulatory energetic expenditure, allowing diversion of energy to other functional outcomes such as faster running.
已灭绝和现存的古人类群体均呈现出与伯格曼法则和艾伦法则相一致的形态特征。然而，这些生态法则所描述的形态的功能含义却鲜为人知。我们通过耐力跑这一视角对此进行了研究。先前关于耐力跑的研究主要集中在运动能量经济性方面。我们考虑了一个较少被研究的功能维度——体温调节。参照预期的体温调节能量消耗以及伯格曼法则和艾伦法则所预测的最佳形态，对在炎热和寒冷环境中参赛的男性超级马拉松运动员（ = 88）的表现进行了分析。在具有热挑战的环境中观察到了支持这两个法则的生态地理模式。炎热环境赛事的完赛者的腿部明显比寒冷环境赛事的完赛者更长。此外，炎热环境赛事的完赛者的腿部比未完成炎热环境赛事的人明显更长。一定程度的生态位选择很明显；运动员可能根据他们以前的比赛经历来调整他们的赛事参赛选择。我们提出，长时间的体力消耗与炎热或寒冷气候之间的相互作用可能会引发强大的选择压力，从而推动形态适应。由此产生的表型减少了体温调节的能量消耗，使能量能够转移到其他功能结果上，比如跑得更快。
