ABSTRACT
Performance and Muscle Physiology ..........................................................232 11.3 Scaling Effects on Vertebrate Ectotherm Muscle and Whole Body
Performance .................................................................................................235 11.4 Relationships between Muscle Specialization and the Individual
Behavioral Performance of Vertebrate Ectotherms .....................................238 11.5 Tradeoffs in Whole-Muscle Function and Its Ecological Importance........240 11.6 Conclusions ..................................................................................................242 References..............................................................................................................245
The aim of this review is to promote the study of interindividual variation in the skeletal muscle of vertebrate ectotherms as a promising field of research integrating questions in evolution, ecology, behavior, and muscle function — levels of organization that are often addressed independently. To fulfill our goal, we offer an evolutionary background that illustrates the relevance of studies of individual variability in behavioral performance in the context of evolutionary physiology. Then, we focus on some of the best-studied examples of behavioral performance and relate this
