Invited review: The speed-duration relationship across the animal kingdom.
Abstract: The parameters of the hyperbolic speed-duration relationship (the asymptote critical speed, CS, and the curvature constant, D') provide estimates of the maximal steady state speed (CS) and the distance an animal can run, swim, or fly at speeds above CS before it is forced to slow down or stop (D'). The speed-duration relationship has been directly studied in humans, horses, mice and rats. The technical difficulties with treadmill running in dogs and the relatively short greyhound race durations means that, perhaps surprisingly, it has not been assessed in dogs. The endurance capabilities of lizards, crabs and salamanders has also been measured, and the speed-duration relationship can be calculated from these data. These analyses show that 1) raising environmental temperature from 25 °C to 40 °C in lizards can double the CS with no change in D'; 2) that lungless salamanders have an extremely low critical speed due, most likely, to O diffusion limitations associated with cutaneous respiration; and 3) the painted ghost crab possesses the highest endurance parameter ratio (D'/CS) yet recorded (470 s), allowing it to maintain high speeds for extended periods. Although the speed-duration relationship has not been measured in fish, the sustainable swimming speed has been quantified in a range of species and is conceptually similar to the maximal steady state in humans. The high aerobic power of birds and low metabolic cost of transport during flight permits the extreme feats of endurance observed in bird migrations. However, the parameters of the avian speed-duration relationship have not been quantified.
Copyright © 2023 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-02-04 PubMed ID: 36740171DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111387Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research aims to study the speed-duration relationship and its parameters in various animal species, including humans, horses, mice, rats, lizards, crabs, salamanders, and birds. It emphasizes the way in which environmental factors influence these parameters, particularly focusing on temperature changes in lizards and the endurance capabilities of lungless salamanders and painted ghost crabs.
The Speed-Duration Relationship
- In the context of this research, the speed-duration relationship refers to a hyperbolic relationship between an animal’s speed and the time duration during which it can maintain that speed.
- Two crucial parameters of this relationship are the asymptote critical speed (CS), which represents the maximum steady-state speed an animal can maintain and the curvature constant (D’), which corresponds to the maximum distance an animal can cover at speeds above CS before fatigue sets in.
Study Samples and Different Parameters
- The researchers performed direct assessments of the speed-duration relationship in humans, horses, mice, and rats.
- Endurance capabilities of lizards, crabs, and salamanders had been measured indirectly, from which the speed-duration relationship was derived.
- Due to technical hurdles with treadmill running and short greyhound race durations, dogs weren’t included in the study.
Findings from the Study
- The study found that for lizards, an increase in environmental temperature from 25°C to 40°C could double their CS without altering D’.
- It was observed that lungless salamanders had a very low critical speed, most likely due to the limitations of oxygen diffusion pertinent to cutaneous respiration.
- The painted ghost crab exhibited the highest endurance parameter ratio (D’/CS), allowing it to maintain high speeds for prolonged periods.
Birds, Fish, and Unassessed Species
- While the study did not specifically measure the speed-duration relationship in birds, it highlighted the high aerobic power of birds and the low metabolic cost of transport during flight that enables extreme feats of endurance during migrations.
- In fish too, the speed-duration relationship was not directly assessed. However, the sustainable swimming speed has been quantified in various species, which is conceptually analogues to the maximal steady state in humans.
Cite This Article
APA
Burnley M.
(2023).
Invited review: The speed-duration relationship across the animal kingdom.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol, 279, 111387.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111387 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK. Electronic address: m.burnley@lboro.ac.uk.
MeSH Terms
- Humans
- Animals
- Rats
- Dogs
- Horses
- Mice
- Running / physiology
- Swimming
- Exercise Test
- Time Factors
- Oxygen Consumption / physiology
- Physical Endurance / physiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Fliss MD, Abercrombie MJ, Denson KG, Wiens L, Losciale JM, Schweitzer AM, Coccimiglio IF, Tripp TR, Burr JF, MacInnis MJ, Mitchell CJ. A Critical Occluding Tension Phase Transition Occurs Between 30% and 40% 1RM in Dynamic Knee Extension Exercise. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2025 Jun;35(6):e70082.
- Burnley M, Vanhatalo A, Poole DC, Jones AM. Blue plaque review series: A.V. Hill, athletic records and the birth of exercise physiology. J Physiol 2025 Mar;603(6):1361-1374.
- de Assis GG, de Souza EON, de Almeida-Neto PF, Ceylan Hİ, Bragazzi NL. A Proposal for a Noxious Stimuli-Free, Moderate-Intensity Treadmill Running Protocol to Improve Aerobic Performance in Experimental Research on Rats. Metabolites 2024 Oct 4;14(10).
- Rigaut C, Giaprakis A, Deruyver L, Goole J, Lambert P, Haut B. The air conditioning in the nose of mammals depends on their mass and on their maximal running speed. Sci Rep 2024 Apr 20;14(1):9053.
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