Metabolism is linked with the pace‐of‐life, co‐varying with survival, growth, and reproduction. Metabolic rates should therefore be under strong selection and, if heritable, become less variable over time. Yet intraspecific variation in metabolic rates is ubiquitous, even after accounting for body mass and temperature. Theory predicts variable selection maintains trait variation, but field estimates of how selection on metabolism varies are rare. We use a model marine invertebrate to estimate selection on metabolic rates in the wild under different competitive environments. Fitness landscapes varied among environments separated by a few centimeters: interspecific competition selected for higher metabolism, and a faster pace‐of‐life, relative to competition‐free environments. Populations experience a mosaic of competitive regimes; we find metabolism mediates a competition‐colonization trade‐off across these regimes. Although high metabolic phenotypes possess greater competitive ability, in the absence of competitors, low metabolic phenotypes are better colonizers. Spatial heterogeneity and the variable selection on metabolic rates that it generates is likely to maintain variation in metabolic rate, despite strong selection in any single environment.

中文翻译：

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代谢率，上下文相关选择和竞争殖民化权衡。

代谢与生活节奏息息相关，与生存，生长和繁殖密切相关。因此，新陈代谢率应严格选择，并且如果可遗传，则其随时间变化的可能性较小。然而，即使考虑了体重和体温，种内代谢率的变化还是普遍存在的。理论上预测变量选择会保持性状的变化，但是很少有关于新陈代谢选择变化的现场估计。我们使用海洋无脊椎动物模型来估计在不同竞争环境下野外代谢率的选择。健身景观在相距几厘米的环境之间变化：相对于无竞争的环境，选择种间竞争以获得更高的新陈代谢和更快的生活节奏。人口经历了竞争机制的混杂；我们发现新陈代谢在这些制度之间介导了竞争-殖民化的权衡。尽管高代谢表型具有更大的竞争能力，但在没有竞争者的情况下，低代谢表型是更好的定居者。尽管在任何单个环境中都有很强的选择能力，但空间异质性及其所产生的代谢速率的变量选择仍可能维持新陈代谢速率的变化。