AIM: The ‘rate‐of‐living’ theory predicts that life expectancy is a negative function of the rates at which organisms metabolize. According to this theory, factors that accelerate metabolic rates, such as high body temperature and active foraging, lead to organismic ‘wear‐out’. This process reduces life span through an accumulation of biochemical errors and the build‐up of toxic metabolic by‐products. Although the rate‐of‐living theory is a keystone underlying our understanding of life‐history trade‐offs, its validity has been recently questioned. The rate‐of‐living theory has never been tested on a global scale in a phylogenetic framework, or across both endotherms and ectotherms. Here, we test several of its fundamental predictions across the tetrapod tree of life. LOCATION: Global. TIME PERIOD: Present. MAJOR TAXA STUDIED: Land vertebrates. METHODS: Using a dataset spanning the life span data of 4,100 land vertebrate species (2,214 endotherms, 1,886 ectotherms), we performed the most comprehensive test to date of the fundamental predictions underlying the rate‐of‐living theory. We investigated how metabolic rates, and a range of factors generally perceived to be strongly associated with them, relate to longevity. RESULTS: Our findings did not support the predictions of the rate‐of‐living theory. Basal and field metabolic rates, seasonality, and activity times, as well as reptile body temperatures and foraging ecology, were found to be unrelated to longevity. In contrast, lower longevity across ectotherm species was associated with high environmental temperatures. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the rate‐of‐living theory does not hold true for terrestrial vertebrates, and suggest that life expectancy is driven by selection arising from extrinsic mortality factors. A simple link between metabolic rates, oxidative damage and life span is not supported. Importantly, our findings highlight the potential for rapid warming, resulting from the current increase in global temperatures, to drive accelerated rates of senescence in ectotherms.

中文翻译：

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没有证据支持四足动物生命树的“生存率”理论

目的：“生存率”理论预测预期寿命是生物体代谢率的负函数。根据这一理论，加速代谢率的因素，如高体温和活跃的觅食，会导致机体“磨损”。这个过程通过生化错误的积累和有毒代谢副产物的积累来缩短寿命。尽管寿命率理论是我们理解生命史权衡的基石，但其有效性最近受到质疑。生命率理论从未在系统发育框架中在全球范围内进行过测试，也从未在吸热和外温上进行过测试。在这里，我们测试了它对四足动物生命树的几个基本预测。地点：全球。时间段：现在。研究的主要分类群：陆生脊椎动物。方法：我们使用涵盖 4,100 种陆地脊椎动物物种（2,214 条吸热线，1,886 条外温线）的寿命数据的数据集，对基于生存率理论的基本预测进行了迄今为止最全面的测试。我们调查了代谢率以及通常被认为与代谢率密切相关的一系列因素如何与长寿相关。结果：我们的研究结果不支持生存率理论的预测。基础和野外代谢率、季节性和活动时间，以及爬行动物的体温和觅食生态，被发现与长寿无关。相比之下，变温动物的寿命较短与环境温度高有关。主要结论：我们得出的结论是，生存率理论不适用于陆生脊椎动物，并表明预期寿命是由外在死亡因素引起的选择驱动的。不支持代谢率、氧化损伤和寿命之间的简单联系。重要的是，我们的研究结果强调了由当前全球温度升高导致的快速变暖的潜力，从而推动变温动物加速衰老。