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Haave-Audet E, Martin JGA, Wijmenga JJ, Mathot KJ. Information Gathering Is Associated with Increased Survival: A Field Experiment in Black-Capped Chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus). Am Nat 2024; 203:109-123. [PMID: 38207133 DOI: 10.1086/727509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractSampling, investing time or energy to learn about the environment, allows organisms to track changes in resource distribution and quality. The use of sampling is predicted to change as a function of energy expenditure, food availability, and starvation risk, all of which can vary both within and among individuals. We studied sampling behavior in a field study with black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and show that individuals adjust their use of sampling as a function of ambient temperature (a proxy for energy expenditure), the presence of an alternative food source (yes or no, a proxy for risk of energy shortfall), and their interaction, as predicted by models of optimal sampling. We also observed repeatable differences in sampling. Some individuals consistently sampled more, and individuals that sampled more overall also had a higher annual survival. These results are consistent with among-individual differences in resource acquisition (e.g., food caches or dominance-related differences in priority access to feeders), shaping among-individual differences in both sampling and survival, with greater resource acquisition leading to both higher sampling and higher survival. Although this explanation requires explicit testing, it is in line with several recent studies suggesting that variation in resource acquisition is a key mechanism underlying animal personality.
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Pacioni C, Sentís M, Hambly C, Speakman JR, Kerimov A, Bushuev A, Lens L, Strubbe D. Great tits (Parus major) in a west European temperate forest show little seasonal variation in metabolic energy requirements. J Therm Biol 2023; 118:103748. [PMID: 37984051 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how birds annually allocate energy to cope with changing environmental conditions and physiological states is a crucial question in avian ecology. There are several hypotheses to explain species' energy allocation. One prominent hypothesis suggests higher energy expenditure in winter due to increased thermoregulatory costs. The "reallocation" hypothesis suggests no net difference in seasonal energy requirements, while the "increased demand" hypothesis predicts higher energy requirements during the breeding season. Birds are expected to adjust their mass and/or metabolic intensity in ways that are consistent with their energy requirements. Here, we look for metabolic signatures of seasonal variation in energy requirements of a resident passerine of a temperate-zone (great tit, Parus major). To do so, we measured whole-body and mass-independent basal (BMR), summit (Msum), and field (FMR) metabolic rates during late winter and during breeding in Belgian great tits. During the breeding season, birds had on average 10% higher whole-body BMR and FMR compared to winter, while their Msum decreased by 7% from winter to breeding. Mass-independent metabolic rates showed a 10% increase in BMR and a 7% decrease in Msum from winter to breeding. Whole-body BMR was correlated with Msum, but this relationship did not hold for mass-independent metabolic rates. The modest seasonal change we observed suggests that great tits in our temperature study area maintain a largely stable energy budget throughout the year, which appears mostly consistent with the reallocation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Pacioni
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Marina Sentís
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - John R Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Anvar Kerimov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Bushuev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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3
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Mathot KJ, Arteaga-Torres JD, Wijmenga JJ. Individual risk-taking behaviour in black-capped chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus) does not predict annual survival. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220299. [PMID: 35911194 PMCID: PMC9326292 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Within species, individuals often show repeatable differences in behaviours, called 'animal personality'. One behaviour that has been widely studied is how quickly an individual resumes feeding after a disturbance, referred to as boldness or risk-taking. Depending on the mechanism(s) shaping risk-taking behaviour, risk-taking could be positively, negatively, or not associated with differences in overall survival. We studied risk-taking and survival in a population of free-living black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in which we previously showed repeatable among-individual differences in risk-taking over the course of several months. We found no evidence that variation in risk-taking is associated with differences in annual survival. We suggest that variation in risk-taking is likely shaped by multiple mechanisms simultaneously, such that the net effect on survival is small or null. For example, among-individual differences in energy demand may favour greater risk-taking without imposing an overall mortality cost if higher energy demand covaries with escape flight performance. We propose directions for future work, including using a multi-trait, multi-year approach to study risk-taking, to allow for stronger inferences regarding the mechanisms shaping these behavioural decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley J. Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
- Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | | | - Jan J. Wijmenga
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
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4
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Farr JJ, Haave‐Audet E, Thompson PR, Mathot KJ. No effect of passive integrated transponder tagging method on survival or body condition in a northern population of Black-capped Chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9610-9620. [PMID: 34306647 PMCID: PMC8293719 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags allow a range of individual-level data to be collected passively and have become a commonly used technology in many avian studies. Although the potential adverse effects of PIT tags have been evaluated in several species, explicit investigations of their impacts on small (<12 g) birds are limited. This is important, because it is reasonable to expect that smaller birds could be impacted more strongly by application of PIT tags. In this study, we individually marked Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), a small (circa 10 g) passerine, at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden to evaluate potential lethal and sublethal effects of two PIT tagging methods: attachment to leg bands or subcutaneous implantation. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to compare the apparent survival of chickadees with leg band (N = 79) and implanted PIT tags (N = 77) compared with control birds that received no PIT tags (N = 76) over the subsequent 2 years based on mist net recaptures. We used radio-frequency identification (RFID) redetections of leg band PIT tags to evaluate sex-specific survival and increase the accuracy of our survival estimates. We also used a generalized linear regression model to compare the body condition of birds recaptured after overwintering with leg band PIT tags, implanted PIT tags, or neither. Our analysis found no evidence for adverse effects of either PIT tagging method on survival or body condition. While we recommend carefully monitoring study animals and evaluating the efficacy of different PIT tagging methods, we have shown that both leg band and subcutaneously implanted PIT tags ethical means of obtaining individualized information in a small passerine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J. Farr
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Elène Haave‐Audet
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Peter R. Thompson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Kimberley J. Mathot
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
- Canada Research Chair in Integrative EcologyEdmontonABCanada
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Nilsson JF, Nilsson JÅ, Broggi J, Watson H. Predictability of food supply modulates nocturnal hypothermia in a small passerine. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200133. [PMID: 32486941 PMCID: PMC7336851 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of short days and long cold winter nights, in temperate regions, presents a major challenge for small diurnal birds. Small birds regularly employ heterothermy and enter rest-phase hypothermia during winter nights to conserve energy. However, we know little about how environmental conditions, such as food availability, shape these strategies. We experimentally manipulated food availability in winter to free-living great tits Parus major. A ‘predictable' and constant food supply was provided to birds in one area of a forest, while birds in another area did not have access to a reliable supplementary food source. We found that predictability of food affected the extent of nocturnal hypothermia, but the response differed between the sexes. Whereas male nocturnal body temperature was similar regardless of food availability, females exposed to a naturally ‘unpredictable' food supply entered deeper hypothermia at night, compared with females that had access to predictable food and compared with males in both treatment groups. We suggest that this response is likely a consequence of dominance, and subdominant females subject to unpredictable food resources cannot maintain sufficient energy intake, resulting in a higher demand for energy conservation at night.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Juli Broggi
- Evolutionary Ecology, Lund University, SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Hannah Watson
- Evolutionary Ecology, Lund University, SE-223 62, Sweden
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6
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Mathot KJ, Dingemanse NJ, Nakagawa S. The covariance between metabolic rate and behaviour varies across behaviours and thermal types: meta‐analytic insights. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:1056-1074. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley J. Mathot
- Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta CW405 Biological Sciences Building, T6G 2E9 Edmonton Alberta Canada
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDepartment of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University 1790 AB, den Burg, Texel The Netherlands
| | - Niels J. Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department Biology IILudwig‐Maximilians University of Munich Grosshadener Strasse 2, DE‐82152, Planegg‐Martinsried, Munich Germany
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney New South Wales 2010 Australia
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7
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Large muscles are beneficial but not required for improving thermogenic capacity in small birds. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14009. [PMID: 30228279 PMCID: PMC6143541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32041-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that small birds improve their shivering heat production capacity by developing the size of their pectoralis muscles. However, some studies have reported an enhancement of thermogenic capacity in the absence of muscle mass variation between seasons or thermal treatments. We tested the hypothesis that an increase in muscle mass is not a prerequisite for improving avian thermogenic capacity. We measured basal (BMR) and summit (Msum) metabolic rates of black capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) acclimated to thermoneutral (27 °C) and cold (-10 °C) temperatures and obtained body composition data from dissections. Cold acclimated birds consumed 44% more food, and had 5% and 20% higher BMR and Msum, respectively, compared to individuals kept at thermoneutrality. However, lean dry pectoralis and total muscle mass did not differ between treatments, confirming that the improvement of thermogenic capacity did not require an increase in skeletal muscle mass. Nevertheless, within temperature treatments, Msum was positively correlated with the mass of all measured muscles, including the pectoralis. Therefore, for a given acclimation temperature individuals with large muscles do benefit from muscle size in term of heat production but improving thermogenic capacity during cold acclimation likely requires an upregulation of cell functions.
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8
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McFarlane SE, Ålund M, Sirkiä PM, Qvarnström A. Difference in plasticity of resting metabolic rate - the proximate explanation to different niche breadth in sympatric Ficedula flycatchers. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:4575-4586. [PMID: 29760898 PMCID: PMC5938467 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in relative fitness of competing recently formed species across heterogeneous environments promotes coexistence. However, the physiological traits mediating such variation in relative fitness have rarely been identified. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is tightly associated with life history strategies, thermoregulation, diet use, and inhabited latitude and could therefore moderate differences in fitness responses to fluctuations in local environments, particularly when species have adapted to different climates in allopatry. We work in a long‐term study of collared (Ficedula albicollis) and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) in a recent hybrid zone located on the Swedish island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. Here, we explore whether differences in RMR match changes in relative performance of growing flycatcher nestlings across environmental conditions using an experimental approach. The fitness of pied flycatchers has previously been shown to be less sensitive to the mismatch between the peak in food abundance and nestling growth among late breeders. Here, we find that pied flycatcher nestlings have lower RMR in response to higher ambient temperatures (associated with low food availability). We also find that experimentally relaxed nestling competition is associated with an increased RMR in this species. In contrast, collared flycatcher nestlings did not vary their RMR in response to these environmental factors. Our results suggest that a more flexible nestling RMR in pied flycatchers is responsible for the better adaptation of pied flycatchers to the typical seasonal changes in food availability experienced in this hybrid zone. Generally, subtle physiological differences that have evolved when species were in allopatry may play an important role to patterns of competition, coexistence, or displacements between closely related species in secondary contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Eryn McFarlane
- Animal Ecology/Ecology and Genetics Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden.,Present address: Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Murielle Ålund
- Animal Ecology/Ecology and Genetics Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Päivi M Sirkiä
- Finnish Museum of Natural History Zoology Unit University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland.,Section of Ecology Department of Biology University of Turku Turku Finland
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Animal Ecology/Ecology and Genetics Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
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9
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Latimer CE, Cooper SJ, Karasov WH, Zuckerberg B. Does habitat fragmentation promote climate-resilient phenotypes? OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E. Latimer
- Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology; Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; 226 Russell Labs 1630 Linden Drive Madison WI 53706 USA
| | | | - William H. Karasov
- Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology; Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; 226 Russell Labs 1630 Linden Drive Madison WI 53706 USA
| | - Benjamin Zuckerberg
- Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology; Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; 226 Russell Labs 1630 Linden Drive Madison WI 53706 USA
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10
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Jones TB, Aplin LM, Devost I, Morand-Ferron J. Individual and ecological determinants of social information transmission in the wild. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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11
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Body temperature responses to handling stress in wintering Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus L.). Physiol Behav 2017; 179:49-54. [PMID: 28528893 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Body temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body temperature changes in a non-model species, the Black-capped Chickadee, in two environmental conditions: outdoors in low ambient temperature (mean: -6.6°C), and indoors, in milder ambient temperature close to thermoneutrality (mean: 18.7°C). Our results show that the change in body temperature in response to the same handling stressor differs in these conditions. In cold environments, we noted a significant decrease in core body temperature (-2.9°C), whereas the response in mild indoor conditions was weak and non-significant (-0.6°C). Heat loss in outdoor birds was exacerbated when birds were handled for longer time. This may highlight the role of behavioral thermoregulation and heat substitution from activity to body temperature maintenance in harsh condition. Importantly, our work also indicates that changes in the physical properties of the bird during handling (conductive cooling from cold hands, decreased insulation from compression of plumage and prevention of ptiloerection) may have large consequences for thermoregulation. This might explain why females, the smaller sex, lost more heat than males in the experiment. Because physiological and physical changes during handling may carry over to affect predation risk and maintenance of energy balance during short winter days, we advice caution when designing experimental protocols entailing prolonged handling of small birds in cold conditions.
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12
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Swanson DL, McKechnie AE, Vézina F. How low can you go? An adaptive energetic framework for interpreting basal metabolic rate variation in endotherms. J Comp Physiol B 2017; 187:1039-1056. [PMID: 28401293 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-017-1096-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive explanations for both high and low body mass-independent basal metabolic rate (BMR) in endotherms are pervasive in evolutionary physiology, but arguments implying a direct adaptive benefit of high BMR are troublesome from an energetic standpoint. Here, we argue that conclusions about the adaptive benefit of BMR need to be interpreted, first and foremost, in terms of energetics, with particular attention to physiological traits on which natural selection is directly acting. We further argue from an energetic perspective that selection should always act to reduce BMR (i.e., maintenance costs) to the lowest level possible under prevailing environmental or ecological demands, so that high BMR per se is not directly adaptive. We emphasize the argument that high BMR arises as a correlated response to direct selection on other physiological traits associated with high ecological or environmental costs, such as daily energy expenditure (DEE) or capacities for activity or thermogenesis. High BMR thus represents elevated maintenance costs required to support energetically demanding lifestyles, including living in harsh environments. BMR is generally low under conditions of relaxed selection on energy demands for high metabolic capacities (e.g., thermoregulation, activity) or conditions promoting energy conservation. Under these conditions, we argue that selection can act directly to reduce BMR. We contend that, as a general rule, BMR should always be as low as environmental or ecological conditions permit, allowing energy to be allocated for other functions. Studies addressing relative reaction norms and response times to fluctuating environmental or ecological demands for BMR, DEE, and metabolic capacities and the fitness consequences of variation in BMR and other metabolic traits are needed to better delineate organismal metabolic responses to environmental or ecological selective forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA.
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa
| | - François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada.,Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Rimouski, QC, Canada
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13
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Devost I, Jones TB, Cauchoix M, Montreuil-Spencer C, Morand-Ferron J. Personality does not predict social dominance in wild groups of black-capped chickadees. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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14
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Zhang Y, Eyster K, Liu JS, Swanson DL. Cross-training in birds: cold and exercise training produce similar changes in maximal metabolic output, muscle masses and myostatin expression in house sparrows (Passer domesticus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:2190-200. [PMID: 25987736 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.121822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Maximal metabolic outputs for exercise and thermogenesis in birds presumably influence fitness through effects on flight and shivering performance. Because both summit (Msum, maximum thermoregulatory metabolic rate) and maximum (MMR, maximum exercise metabolic rate) metabolic rates are functions of skeletal muscle activity, correlations between these measurements and their mechanistic underpinnings might occur. To examine whether such correlations occur, we measured the effects of experimental cold and exercise training protocols for 3 weeks on body (Mb) and muscle (Mpec) masses, basal metabolic rate (BMR), Msum, MMR, pectoralis mRNA and protein expression for myostatin, and mRNA expression of TLL-1 and TLL-2 (metalloproteinase activators of myostatin) in house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Both training protocols increased Msum, MMR, Mb and Mpec, but BMR increased with cold training and decreased with exercise training. No significant differences occurred for pectoralis myostatin mRNA expression, but cold and exercise increased the expression of TLL-1 and TLL-2. Pectoralis myostatin protein levels were generally reduced for both training groups. These data clearly demonstrate cross-training effects of cold and exercise in birds, and are consistent with a role for myostatin in increasing pectoralis muscle mass and driving organismal increases in metabolic capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufeng Zhang
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - Kathleen Eyster
- Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57105, USA
| | - Jin-Song Liu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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Royer-Boutin P, Cortés PA, Milbergue M, Petit M, Vézina F. Estimation of Muscle Mass by Ultrasonography Differs between Observers and Life States of Models in Small Birds. Physiol Biochem Zool 2015; 88:336-44. [PMID: 25860831 DOI: 10.1086/680016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Royer-Boutin
- Département de Biologie, Chimie, et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada; 2Centre d'Études Nordiques, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada; 3Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 567, Chile; 4Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
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16
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Cortés PA, Petit M, Lewden A, Milbergue M, Vézina F. Individual inconsistencies in basal and summit metabolic rate highlight flexibility of metabolic performance in a wintering passerine. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 323:179-90. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Revised: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Andrés Cortés
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja; Valdivia Chile
| | - Magali Petit
- Département de biologie; chimie et géographie; Université du Québec à Rimouski; Rimouski Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS; Rimouski Canada
- Centre d'Etudes Nordiques; Québec Canada
- Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec; Montréal Canada
| | - Agnès Lewden
- Département de biologie; chimie et géographie; Université du Québec à Rimouski; Rimouski Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS; Rimouski Canada
| | - Myriam Milbergue
- Département de biologie; chimie et géographie; Université du Québec à Rimouski; Rimouski Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS; Rimouski Canada
- Centre d'Etudes Nordiques; Québec Canada
- Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec; Montréal Canada
| | - François Vézina
- Département de biologie; chimie et géographie; Université du Québec à Rimouski; Rimouski Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS; Rimouski Canada
- Centre d'Etudes Nordiques; Québec Canada
- Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec; Montréal Canada
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17
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Petit M, Lewden A, Vézina F. How does flexibility in body composition relate to seasonal changes in metabolic performance in a small passerine wintering at northern latitude? Physiol Biochem Zool 2014; 87:539-49. [PMID: 24940918 DOI: 10.1086/676669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Small avian species wintering at northern latitudes typically show increases in basal metabolic rate (BMR) and maximal thermogenic capacity (Msum). Those are widely assumed to reflect changes in body composition, with enlargement of digestive and excretory organs resulting in elevated winter BMR and larger body muscles driving the increase in Msum. Using free-living black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) as our model species, we investigated seasonal changes in body composition and tested for relationships between mass variations of body organs and variability of both BMR and Msum. Our results confirmed the expected winter increase in mass of body muscles and cardiopulmonary organs (heart + lungs) and showed that 64% of the observed Msum variations throughout the year were explained by changes in these organs. In contrast, we found little support for an effect of the digestive organs (gizzard + intestines) on BMR seasonal changes. Instead, this variable was mainly influenced by variations in mass of body muscles and excretory organs (liver + kidney), explaining up to 35% of its variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Petit
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada; 2Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
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van de Ven TM, Mzilikazi N, McKechnie AE. Phenotypic flexibility in body mass, basal metabolic rate and summit metabolism in southern red bishops (Euplectes orix): Responses to short term thermal acclimation. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2013; 165:319-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Petit M, Lewden A, Vézina F. Intra-seasonal flexibility in avian metabolic performance highlights the uncoupling of basal metabolic rate and thermogenic capacity. PLoS One 2013; 8:e68292. [PMID: 23840843 PMCID: PMC3695913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Stochastic winter weather events are predicted to increase in occurrence and amplitude at northern latitudes and organisms are expected to cope through phenotypic flexibility. Small avian species wintering in these environments show acclimatization where basal metabolic rate (BMR) and maximal thermogenic capacity (MSUM) are typically elevated. However, little is known on intra-seasonal variation in metabolic performance and on how population trends truly reflect individual flexibility. Here we report intra-seasonal variation in metabolic parameters measured at the population and individual levels in black-capped chickadees (Poecileatricapillus). Results confirmed that population patterns indeed reflect flexibility at the individual level. They showed the expected increase in BMR (6%) and MSUM (34%) in winter relative to summer but also, and most importantly, that these parameters changed differently through time. BMR began its seasonal increase in November, while MSUM had already achieved more than 20% of its inter-seasonal increase by October, and declined to its starting level by March, while MSUM remained high. Although both parameters co-vary on a yearly scale, this mismatch in the timing of variation in winter BMR and MSUM likely reflects different constraints acting on different physiological components and therefore suggests a lack of functional link between these parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Petit
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
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Petit M, Vézina F. Phenotype manipulations confirm the role of pectoral muscles and haematocrit in avian maximal thermogenic capacity. J Exp Biol 2013; 217:824-30. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.095703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
In small resident bird species living at northern latitudes, winter cold acclimatization is associated with an increase in pectoral muscle size and haematocrit level and this is thought to drive the seasonal increase in summit metabolic rate (Msum, a measure of maximal shivering thermogenic capacity). However, evidences suggesting that pectoral muscle size influences Msum are correlational and the link between haematrocrit level and Msum remains to be demonstrated. We experimentally tested the relationship between pectoral muscle size and Msum by manipulating muscle size using a feather clipping protocol in free-living wintering black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). This also allowed us to investigate the link between haematocrit and thermogenic capacity. After a first series of measures on all birds, we cut half of the flight feathers of experimental individuals (n = 14) and compared their fat and pectoral muscle scores, Msum and haematocrit level at recapture with their previous measures and with those of control birds (n = 17) that were captured and recaptured at comparable times. Results showed 1) that experimental birds developed larger pectoral muscles than control individuals and 2) that mass-independent Msum was up to 16% higher in birds expressing large pectoral muscles. Msum was also positively correlated with haematocrit, which was not affected by the experimental manipulation. These findings demonstrate that, for a given body mass, large pectoral muscles are associated with a higher Msum in black-capped chickadees and that oxygen carrying capacity likely supports thermogenesis in this species.
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21
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van de Ven TMFN, Mzilikazi N, McKechnie AE. Seasonal Metabolic Variation in Two Populations of an Afrotropical Euplectid Bird. Physiol Biochem Zool 2013; 86:19-26. [DOI: 10.1086/667989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Swanson DL, Thomas NE, Liknes ET, Cooper SJ. Intraspecific correlations of basal and maximal metabolic rates in birds and the aerobic capacity model for the evolution of endothermy. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34271. [PMID: 22479584 PMCID: PMC3313994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 02/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The underlying assumption of the aerobic capacity model for the evolution of endothermy is that basal (BMR) and maximal aerobic metabolic rates are phenotypically linked. However, because BMR is largely a function of central organs whereas maximal metabolic output is largely a function of skeletal muscles, the mechanistic underpinnings for their linkage are not obvious. Interspecific studies in birds generally support a phenotypic correlation between BMR and maximal metabolic output. If the aerobic capacity model is valid, these phenotypic correlations should also extend to intraspecific comparisons. We measured BMR, M(sum) (maximum thermoregulatory metabolic rate) and MMR (maximum exercise metabolic rate in a hop-flutter chamber) in winter for dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis; M(sum) and MMR only), and black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus; BMR and M(sum) only) and examined correlations among these variables. We also measured BMR and M(sum) in individual house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in both summer, winter and spring. For both raw metabolic rates and residuals from allometric regressions, BMR was not significantly correlated with either M(sum) or MMR in juncos. Moreover, no significant correlation between M(sum) and MMR or their mass-independent residuals occurred for juncos or goldfinches. Raw BMR and M(sum) were significantly positively correlated for black-capped chickadees and house sparrows, but mass-independent residuals of BMR and M(sum) were not. These data suggest that central organ and exercise organ metabolic levels are not inextricably linked and that muscular capacities for exercise and shivering do not necessarily vary in tandem in individual birds. Why intraspecific and interspecific avian studies show differing results and the significance of these differences to the aerobic capacity model are unknown, and resolution of these questions will require additional studies of potential mechanistic links between minimal and maximal metabolic output.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America.
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