Effects of aestivation on skeletal muscle performance

Fitness, ecology, and behaviour of vertebrates are dependent upon locomotor performance. Locomotor performance can be constrained by underlying intrinsic skeletal muscle properties. Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue undergoing phenotypic change in response to alteration in environment. Clinical and experimental models of muscle disuse cause decreases in skeletal muscle size and mechanical performance. However, in natural models of skeletal muscle disuse, both atrophy and changes in mechanical properties are more limited. Aestivation in frogs can cause decreases in muscle cross-sectional area and changes in some enzyme activities, with effects varying among muscles. However, long-term aestivation causes limited changes in muscle mechanics during simulated sprint or endurance type activities. Therefore, at least in frogs, there is maintenance of skeletal muscle performance during prolonged periods of aestivation, allowing avoidance of harsh environmental conditions without compromising the locomotor capacity to perform fitness-related activities when favourable environmental conditions return.