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Can energetic expenditure be minimized by performing activity intermittently?

E B Edwards1, T T Gleeson

  • 1Department of Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA. bakerej@ucsu.colorado.edu

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|February 15, 2001
PubMed
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Performing brief activities more frequently reduces the energy cost per distance for animals, similar to continuous activity. This intermittent movement strategy minimizes metabolic expenditure, offering an efficient way for animals to travel.

Area of Science:

  • Exercise Physiology
  • Animal Energetics
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Animals often exhibit intermittent locomotion, alternating brief activity bouts with rest periods.
  • Previous studies indicate short-duration activities have a higher energetic cost per distance than long-duration ones.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that intermittent, multi-bout activity is energetically cheaper per unit distance than single, short bouts.
  • To quantify the energetic cost of intermittent versus continuous locomotion in mice.

Main Methods:

  • Mice performed intermittent sprints (15s) at maximal speed with varying frequencies (1-13 bouts) within a fixed time (375s).
  • Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and excess exercise oxygen consumption (EEOC) were measured using respirometry.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Lactate concentrations were analyzed at rest, post-exercise, and post-recovery.

    • Main Results:

    • EPOC constituted over 80% of the total metabolic cost during intermittent activity and was independent of activity frequency.
    • The net cost of activity (C(act)) per unit distance significantly decreased with increased activity frequency.
    • The energetic cost per distance for intermittent activity matched that of continuous activity.

    Conclusions:

    • Animals can minimize energetic expenditure by adopting intermittent movement patterns with higher activity frequencies.
    • Increasing the duration of continuous behaviors also minimizes energetic costs, suggesting similar efficiency to frequent, brief movements.