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Dzialo M, Bryła A, DeMoranville KJ, Carbeck KM, Fatica O, Trost L, Pierce B, Sadowska ET, McWilliams SR, Bauchinger U. Concerted phenotypic flexibility of avian erythrocyte size and number in response to dietary anthocyanin supplementation. Front Zool 2023; 20:9. [PMID: 36829190 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00487-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endurance flight impose substantial oxidative costs on the avian oxygen delivery system. In particular, the accumulation of irreversible damage in red blood cells can reduce the capacity of blood to transport oxygen and limit aerobic performance. Many songbirds consume large amounts of anthocyanin-rich fruit, which is hypothesized to reduce oxidative costs, enhance post-flight regeneration, and enable greater aerobic capacity. While their antioxidant benefits appear most straightforward, the effects of anthocyanins on blood composition remain so far unknown. We fed thirty hand-raised European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) two semisynthetic diets (with or without anthocyanin supplement) and manipulated the extent of flight activity in a wind tunnel (daily flying or non-flying for over two weeks) to test for their interactive effects on functionally important haematological variables. RESULTS Supplemented birds had on average 15% more and 4% smaller red blood cells compared to non-supplemented individuals and these diet effects were independent of flight manipulation. Haemoglobin content was 7% higher in non-supplemented flying birds compared to non-flying birds, while similar haemoglobin content was observed among supplemented birds that were flown or not. Neither diet nor flight activity influenced haematocrit. CONCLUSION The concerted adjustments suggest that supplementation generally improved antioxidant protection in blood, which could prevent the excess removal of cells from the bloodstream and may have several implications on the oxygen delivery system, including improved gas exchange and blood flow. The flexible haematological response to dietary anthocyanins may also suggest that free-ranging species preferentially consume anthocyanin-rich fruits for their natural blood doping, oxygen delivery-enhancement effects.
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Abstract
Metabolic rate (MR) usually changes (scales) out of proportion to body mass (BM) as MR = aBMb, where a is a normalisation constant and b is the scaling exponent that reflects how steep this change is. This scaling relationship is fundamental to biology, but over a century of research has provided little consensus on the value of b, and why it appears to vary among taxa and taxonomic levels. By analysing published data on fish and taking an individual-based approach to metabolic scaling, I show that variation in growth of fish under naturally restricted food availability can explain variation in within-individual (ontogenetic) b for standard (maintenance) metabolic rate (SMR) of brown trout (Salmo trutta), with the fastest growers having the steepest metabolic scaling (b ≈ 1). Moreover, I show that within-individual b can vary much more widely than previously assumed from work on different individuals or different species, from -1 to 1 for SMR among individual brown trout. The negative scaling of SMR for some individuals was caused by reductions in metabolic rate in a food limited environment, likely to maintain positive growth. This resulted in a mean within-individual b for SMR that was significantly lower than the across-individual ("static") b, a difference that also existed for another species, cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus). Interestingly, the wide variation in ontogenetic b for SMR among individual brown trout did not exist for maximum (active) metabolic rate (MMR) of the same fish, showing that these two key metabolic traits (SMR and MMR) can scale independently of one another. I also show that across-species ("evolutionary") b for SMR of 134 fishes is significantly steeper (b approaching 1) than the mean ontogenetic b for the brown trout and cunner. Based on these interesting findings, I hypothesise that evolutionary and static metabolic scaling can be systematically different from ontogenetic scaling, and that the steeper evolutionary than ontogenetic scaling for fishes arises as a by-product of natural selection for fast-growing individuals with steep metabolic scaling (b ≈ 1) early in life, where size-selective mortality is high for fishes. I support this by showing that b for SMR tends to increase with natural mortality rates of fish larvae within taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 202, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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Frawley AE, DeMoranville KJ, Carbeck KM, Trost L, Bryła A, Działo M, Sadowska ET, Bauchinger U, Pierce BJ, McWilliams SR. Flight training and dietary antioxidants have mixed effects on the oxidative status of multiple tissues in a female migratory songbird. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272431. [PMID: 34632505 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Birds, like other vertebrates, rely on a robust antioxidant system to protect themselves against oxidative imbalance caused by energy-intensive activities such as flying. Such oxidative challenges may be especially acute for females during spring migration, as they must pay the oxidative costs of flight while preparing for reproduction; however, little previous work has examined how the antioxidant system of female spring migrants responds to dietary antioxidants and the oxidative challenges of regular flying. We fed two diets to female European starlings, one supplemented with a dietary antioxidant and one without, and then flew them daily in a windtunnel for 2 weeks during the autumn and spring migration periods. We measured the activity of enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase), non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and markers of oxidative damage (protein carbonyls and lipid hydroperoxides) in four tissues: pectoralis, leg muscle, liver and heart. Dietary antioxidants affected enzymatic antioxidant activity and lipid damage in the heart, non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity in the pectoralis, and protein damage in leg muscle. In general, birds not fed the antioxidant supplement appeared to incur increased oxidative damage while upregulating non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant activity, though these effects were strongly tissue specific. We also found trends for diet×training interactions for enzymatic antioxidant activity in the heart and leg muscle. Flight training may condition the antioxidant system of females to dynamically respond to oxidative challenges, and females during spring migration may shift antioxidant allocation to reduce oxidative damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E Frawley
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Kristen J DeMoranville
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Katherine M Carbeck
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T1Z4
| | - Lisa Trost
- Department for Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Amadeusz Bryła
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Maciej Działo
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Edyta T Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Ulf Bauchinger
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.,Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Barbara J Pierce
- Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
| | - Scott R McWilliams
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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Ye X, Lu L, Jiang M, Jia J, Li W, Wu H, Liao Y, Li J. Metabolic scaling: individual versus intraspecific scaling of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). J Comp Physiol B 2021; 191:721-729. [PMID: 33934186 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01376-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We examined intraspecific scaling of the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) under different culture conditions and further explored the allometric relationships between organ mass (heart, liver, brain, gills, viscera, and red muscles) and blood parameters (erythrocyte size and red blood cell counts) and body mass. Oreochromis niloticus were bred in individual and group cultures. The scaling exponent of the RMR in the individual cultures was b = 0.620-0.821 (n = 30) and that in the group culture was b = 0.770 [natural logarithm (ln) RMR = 0.770 ln M - 1.107 (n = 76)]. The results of the two experimental methods were similar and were not significantly different from 0.75 (3/4), as predicted by the metabolic theory of ecology. The active and inactive organs were scaled with body mass by an exponent of 0.940 and 1.012, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the blood parameters and body mass. These results suggest that the differences in the culture methods may not have affected the allometric scaling of O. niloticus metabolism. The proportion of active and inactive organs contributed to allometric changes in the metabolic rate with body mass. Red blood cells in fish are not generally representative, and cell size can only partially explain the allometric scaling of metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiurong Ye
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Lili Lu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Meijun Jiang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Jiuman Jia
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Weifeng Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Haiping Wu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Yongyan Liao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
| | - Jian Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China.
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Gerson AR, DeSimone JG, Black EC, Dick MF, Groom DJ. Metabolic reduction after long-duration flight is not related to fat-free mass loss or flight duration in a migratory passerine. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb215384. [PMID: 32778563 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.215384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Migratory birds catabolize large quantities of protein during long flights, resulting in dramatic reductions in organ and muscle mass. One of the many hypotheses to explain this phenomenon is that decrease in lean mass is associated with reduced resting metabolism, saving energy after flight during refueling. However, the relationship between lean body mass and resting metabolic rate remains unclear. Furthermore, the coupling of lean mass with resting metabolic rate and with peak metabolic rate before and after long-duration flight have not previously been explored. We flew migratory yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) in a wind tunnel under one of two humidity regimes to manipulate the rate of lean mass loss in flight, decoupling flight duration from total lean mass loss. Before and after long-duration flights, we measured resting and peak metabolism, and also measured fat mass and lean body mass using quantitative magnetic resonance. Flight duration ranged from 28 min to 600 min, and birds flying under dehydrating conditions lost more fat-free mass than those flying under humid conditions. After flight, there was a 14% reduction in resting metabolism but no change in peak metabolism. Interestingly, the reduction in resting metabolism was unrelated to flight duration or to change in fat-free body mass, indicating that protein metabolism in flight is unlikely to have evolved as an energy-saving measure to aid stopover refueling, but metabolic reduction itself is likely to be beneficial to migratory birds arriving in novel habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R Gerson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Joely G DeSimone
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Black
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Morag F Dick
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B7
| | - Derrick J Groom
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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Bury A, Niedojadlo J, Sadowska ET, Bauchinger U, Cichoń M. Contrasting response of haematological variables between long-term training and short exercise bouts in zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.193227. [PMID: 30630967 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.193227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Physical aerobic activity is oxygen demanding, but - particularly for birds - there is still little understanding of how blood contributes to oxygen supply under various activity levels. In a two-factorial experimental design, we investigated the long-term effect of daily flight training and the immediate effect of a short exercise bout on a set of haematological variables: haemoglobin (Hb) content, haematocrit (Hct), and red blood cell number (RBCcount) and size (RBCarea) in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). For a period of 6 weeks, birds were either trained daily for 3 h in a flight arena or remained untrained. Subsequently, half of each group was blood sampled either in the resting condition or after a 5 min exercise bout in a flight-hover wheel. We found significantly lower Hb content, Hct and RBCcount compared with that in untrained controls in response to training, while RBCarea did not differ between treatments. Response to an exercise bout revealed the opposite pattern, with significantly higher Hb content and Hct compared with that in non-exercised birds. Additionally, RBCarea was significantly smaller immediately after exercise compared with that in non-exercised birds, and such short-term flexibility represents a novel finding for birds. This contrasting response in erythrocyte characteristics with respect to long-term training and short exercise bouts appears as a clear pattern, presumably underlain by changes in water balance. We infer alterations of blood flow to be involved in adequate oxygen supply. During an exercise bout, RBCarea flexibility may not only enhance oxygen delivery through improved erythrocyte surface area to volume ratio but also improve blood flow through a compensatory effect on blood viscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Bury
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jowita Niedojadlo
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Edyta T Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ulf Bauchinger
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
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Norin T, Gamperl AK. Metabolic scaling of individuals vs. populations: Evidence for variation in scaling exponents at different hierarchical levels. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Norin
- Department of Ocean SciencesMemorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - A. Kurt Gamperl
- Department of Ocean SciencesMemorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
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Kulaszewicz I, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Jakubas D. Variation of the Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) Leucocyte Profiles and Body Condition in Relation to Age, Sex and Moult. ANN ZOOL FENN 2015. [DOI: 10.5735/086.052.0507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Bairlein F, Fritz J, Scope A, Schwendenwein I, Stanclova G, van Dijk G, Meijer HAJ, Verhulst S, Dittami J. Energy Expenditure and Metabolic Changes of Free-Flying Migrating Northern Bald Ibis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134433. [PMID: 26376193 PMCID: PMC4573986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Many migrating birds undertake extraordinary long flights. How birds are able to perform such endurance flights of over 100-hour durations is still poorly understood. We examined energy expenditure and physiological changes in Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremite during natural flights using birds trained to follow an ultra-light aircraft. Because these birds were tame, with foster parents, we were able to bleed them immediately prior to and after each flight. Flight duration was experimentally designed ranging between one and almost four hours continuous flights. Energy expenditure during flight was estimated using doubly-labelled-water while physiological properties were assessed through blood chemistry including plasma metabolites, enzymes, electrolytes, blood gases, and reactive oxygen compounds. Instantaneous energy expenditure decreased with flight duration, and the birds appeared to balance aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, using fat, carbohydrate and protein as fuel. This made flight both economic and tolerable. The observed effects resemble classical exercise adaptations that can limit duration of exercise while reducing energetic output. There were also in-flight benefits that enable power output variation from cruising to manoeuvring. These adaptations share characteristics with physiological processes that have facilitated other athletic feats in nature and might enable the extraordinary long flights of migratory birds as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Bairlein
- Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland”, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Johannes Fritz
- Center for Organismic Systems Biology, Departments of Anthropology and Behavioral Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Waldrappteam, Schulgasse 28, 6162 Mutters, Austria, and Konrad-Lorenz Research Station, 4645, Grünau, Austria
| | - Alexandra Scope
- Clinic for Avian, Reptile, and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Wien, Austria
| | - Ilse Schwendenwein
- Central Laboratory, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Wien, Austria
| | - Gabriela Stanclova
- Clinic for Avian, Reptile, and Fish Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Wien, Austria
| | - Gertjan van Dijk
- Center for Behavior and Neurosciences (CBN), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747, AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek (CIO), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747, AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harro A. J. Meijer
- Centrum voor Isotopen Onderzoek (CIO), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747, AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Center for Behavior and Neurosciences (CBN), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747, AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - John Dittami
- Center for Organismic Systems Biology, Departments of Anthropology and Behavioral Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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Varennes E, Hanssen SA, Bonardelli JC, Guillemette M. A large molluscivore bird (Common Eider, Somateria mollissima) is able to discriminate quality of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) based on size and provenance. CAN J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2015-0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Molluscivore birds that forage on abundant but low-quality food have to ingest large quantities of food to achieve energy balance. Such a strategy is often associated with important digestive constraints limiting predator’s ingestion. Thus, these predators may use prey selection to ingest better-quality individuals among a generally low-quality prey population. Using captive Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (L., 1758)) diving in a constant environment, we were able to examine their preferences for blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L., 1758) of varying qualities (different sizes or provenances). In addition, we studied the consequences prey selection had on Eiders’ energy intake rates and ingestion of flesh and shell material. Eiders selected 10–20 mm mussels and were able to discriminate and to select cultivated mussels from intertidal mussels. Prey selection allowed, in certain conditions of prey-size abundance, higher flesh and energy intake rates without increasing the ingestion of shell material. This study confirmed the energetic advantage that Eiders have when foraging in aquaculture sites, which explain the large depredation of preferred mussel sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Varennes
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300, allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Sveinn A. Hanssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Magella Guillemette
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300, allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
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Giraudeau M, Sweazea K, Butler MW, McGraw KJ. Effects of carotenoid and vitamin E supplementation on oxidative stress and plumage coloration in house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2013; 166:406-13. [PMID: 23872319 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
There has been much recent interest from both applied and basic scientists in the broad series of benefits that animals reap from acquiring high concentrations of dietary antioxidants, such as carotenoids and vitamins (e.g., vitamin E, or tocopherol). Most attention has been paid to separate effects of these compounds on, for example, coloration, health state, development, and vision, but because of possible interactions between these lipid-soluble molecules, we are in need of more studies that co-manipulate these substances and examine their possible synergistic impacts on animal physiology and phenotype. We capitalized on a model avian system (the house finch, Haemorhous mexicanus), where extensive information is available on the fitness roles of carotenoids, to test how variation in carotenoid and/or vitamin E concentrations in the diet impacts body accumulation of these compounds, factors related to oxidative damage (e.g., breast muscle and plasma oxidative-stress susceptibility, plasma nitric-oxide levels), and plumage color development. As in a previous study of ours on carotenoids and health in finches, we employed a 2×2 factorial experimental design on birds in both molting and non-molting conditions, to understand how seasonal shifts in carotenoid use (i.e., pigment incorporation into plumage) might alter the accumulation and roles of carotenoids and vitamins. As expected, lutein supplementation increased the level of circulating carotenoids in both experiments and the color of newly molted plumage. By contrast, vitamin E provisioning did not significantly affect plasma carotenoid levels or plumage coloration in either experiment. Interestingly, carotenoid provisioning decreased circulating vitamin E levels during molt, which suggests either molecular competition between carotenoids and tocopherol at the absorption/transport stages or that vitamin E serves as an antioxidant to offset harmful actions that carotenoids may have at very high concentrations. Finally, in both experiments, we found a reduction in breast-muscle oxidative damage for tocopherol-supplemented birds, which constitutes the first demonstration of a protective effect of vitamin E against oxidative stress in wild birds. Taken together, these findings provide an interesting contrast with our earlier work on season-specific physiological benefits of carotenoids in finches and point to complex associations between indicators of antioxidant and oxidative state in wild-caught animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Giraudeau
- Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA.
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Hua N, Piersma T, Ma Z. Three-phase fuel deposition in a long-distance migrant, the red knot (Calidris canutus piersmai), before the flight to high Arctic breeding grounds. PLoS One 2013; 8:e62551. [PMID: 23638114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Refuelling by migratory birds before take-off on long flights is generally considered a two-phase process, with protein accumulation preceding rapid fat deposition. The first phase expresses the demands for a large digestive system for nutrient storage after shrinkage during previous flights, the second phase the demands for fat stores to fuel the subsequent flight. At the last staging site in northward migration, this process may include expression of selection pressures both en route to and after arrival at the breeding grounds, which remains unascertained. Here we investigated changes in body composition during refuelling of High Arctic breeding red knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) in the northern Yellow Sea, before their flight to the tundra. These red knots followed a three-phase fuel deposition pattern, with protein being stored in the first and last phases, and fat being deposited mainly in the second phase. Thus, they did not shrink nutritional organs before take-off, and even showed hypertrophy of the nutritional organs. These suggest the build up of strategic protein stores before departure to cope with a protein shortage upon arrival on the breeding grounds. Further comparative studies are warranted to examine the degree to which the deposition of stores by migrant birds generally reflects a balance between concurrent and upcoming environmental selection pressures.
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Okada K, Pitchers WR, Sharma MD, Hunt J, Hosken DJ. Longevity, calling effort, and metabolic rate in two populations of cricket. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011; 65:1773-8. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1185-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Seewagen CL, Guglielmo CG. Quantitative magnetic resonance analysis and a morphometric predictive model reveal lean body mass changes in migrating Nearctic–Neotropical passerines. J Comp Physiol B 2011; 181:413-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-010-0534-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2010] [Revised: 10/26/2010] [Accepted: 10/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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van Gils JA, Beekman JH, Coehoorn P, Corporaal E, Dekkers T, Klaassen M, van Kraaij R, de Leeuw R, de Vries PP. Longer guts and higher food quality increase energy intake in migratory swans. J Anim Ecol 2008; 77:1234-41. [PMID: 18662243 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01452.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
1. Within the broad field of optimal foraging, it is increasingly acknowledged that animals often face digestive constraints rather than constraints on rates of food collection. This therefore calls for a formalization of how animals could optimize food absorption rates. 2. Here we generate predictions from a simple graphical optimal digestion model for foragers that aim to maximize their (true) metabolizable food intake over total time (i.e. including nonforaging bouts) under a digestive constraint. 3. The model predicts that such foragers should maintain a constant food retention time, even if gut length or food quality changes. For phenotypically flexible foragers, which are able to change the size of their digestive machinery, this means that an increase in gut length should go hand in hand with an increase in gross intake rate. It also means that better quality food should be digested more efficiently. 4. These latter two predictions are tested in a large avian long-distance migrant, the Bewick's swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii), feeding on grasslands in its Dutch wintering quarters. 5. Throughout winter, free-ranging Bewick's swans, growing a longer gut and experiencing improved food quality, increased their gross intake rate (i.e. bite rate) and showed a higher digestive efficiency. These responses were in accordance with the model and suggest maintenance of a constant food retention time. 6. These changes doubled the birds' absorption rate. Had only food quality changed (and not gut length), then absorption rate would have increased by only 67%; absorption rate would have increased by only 17% had only gut length changed (and not food quality). 7. The prediction that gross intake rate should go up with gut length parallels the mechanism included in some proximate models of foraging that feeding motivation scales inversely to gut fullness. We plea for a tighter integration between ultimate and proximate foraging models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan A van Gils
- Department of Plant-Animal Interactions, Centre for Limnology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), AC Nieuwersluis, The Netherlands.
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Hedenström A. Power and metabolic scope of bird flight: a phylogenetic analysis of biomechanical predictions. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2008; 194:685-91. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-008-0345-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2008] [Revised: 05/05/2008] [Accepted: 05/08/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Abstract
Migratory bird, bat and insect species tend to have more pointed wings than non-migrants. Pointed wings and low wingloading, or body mass divided by wing area, are thought to reduce energy consumption during long-distance flight, but these hypotheses have never been directly tested. Furthermore, it is not clear how the atmospheric conditions migrants encounter while aloft affect their energy use; without such information, we cannot accurately predict migratory species' response(s) to climate change. Here, we measured the heart rates of 15 free-flying Swainson's Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) during migratory flight. Heart rate, and therefore rate of energy expenditure, was positively associated with individual variation in wingtip roundedness and wingloading throughout the flights. During the cruise phase of the flights, heart rate was also positively associated with wind speed but not wind direction, and negatively but not significantly associated with large-scale atmospheric stability. High winds and low atmospheric stability are both indicative of the presence of turbulent eddies, suggesting that birds may be using more energy when atmospheric turbulence is high. We therefore suggest that pointed wingtips, low wingloading and avoidance of high winds and turbulence reduce flight costs for small birds during migration, and that climate change may have the strongest effects on migrants' in-flight energy use if it affects the frequency and/or severity of high winds and atmospheric instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa S Bowlin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
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McKechnie AE. Phenotypic flexibility in basal metabolic rate and the changing view of avian physiological diversity: a review. J Comp Physiol B 2007; 178:235-47. [PMID: 17957373 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-007-0218-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2007] [Revised: 09/24/2007] [Accepted: 10/06/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Comparative analyses of avian energetics often involve the implicit assumption that basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a fixed, taxon-specific trait. However, in most species that have been investigated, BMR exhibits phenotypic flexibility and can be reversibly adjusted over short time scales. Many non-migrants adjust BMR seasonally, with the winter BMR usually higher than the summer BMR. The data that are currently available do not, however, support the idea that the magnitude and direction of these adjustments varies consistently with body mass. Long-distance migrants often exhibit large intra-annual changes in BMR, reflecting the physiological adjustments associated with different stages of their migratory cycles. Phenotypic flexibility in BMR also represents an important component of short-term thermal acclimation under laboratory conditions, with captive birds increasing BMR when acclimated to low air temperatures and vice versa. The emerging view of avian BMR is of a highly flexible physiological trait that is continually adjusted in response to environmental factors such as temperature. The within-individual variation observed in avian BMR demands a critical re-examination of approaches used for comparisons across taxa. Several key questions concerning the shapes and other properties of avian BMR reaction norms urgently need to be addressed, and hypotheses concerning metabolic adaptation should explicitly account for phenotypic flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E McKechnie
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg, Wits 2050, South Africa.
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Vaillancourt E, Weber JM. Lipid mobilization of long-distance migrant birds in vivo: the high lipolytic rate of ruff sandpipers is not stimulated during shivering. J Exp Biol 2007; 210:1161-9. [PMID: 17371915 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.003012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
For long migrations, birds must rely on high flux capacities at all steps of lipid metabolism, from the mobilization of adipose reserves to fatty acid oxidation in flight muscle mitochondria. Substrate kinetics and indirect calorimetry were used to investigate key parameters of lipid metabolism in a highly aerobic shorebird: the ruff sandpiper Philomachus pugnax. In this study, we have quantified the effects of cold exposure because such measurements are presently impossible during flight. Lipolytic rate was monitored by continuous infusion of 2-[3H]-glycerol and lipid oxidation by respirometry. Plasma lipid concentrations (non-esterified fatty acids, neutral lipids and phospholipids) and their fatty acid composition were also measured to assess whether cold exposure causes selective metabolism of specific lipids. Results show that shivering leads to a 47% increase in metabolic rate (44.4±3.8 ml O2kg–1min–1 to 65.2±8.1 ml O2kg–1 min–1), almost solely by stimulating lipid oxidation (33.3± 3.3 ml O2 kg–1min–1 to 48.2±6.8 ml O2kg–1 min–1) because carbohydrate oxidation remains close to 11.5± 0.5 ml O2 kg–1min–1. Sandpipers support an unusually high lipolytic rate of 55–60 μmol glycerol kg–1 min–1. Its stimulation above thermoneutral rates is unnecessary during shivering when the birds are still able to re-esterify 50% of released fatty acids. No changes in plasma lipid composition were observed, suggesting that cold exposure does not lead to selective metabolism of particular fatty acids. This study provides the first measurements of lipolytic rate in migrant birds and shows that their capacity for lipid mobilization reaches the highest values measured to date in vertebrates. Extending the limits of conventional lipid metabolism has clearly been necessary to achieve long-distance migrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vaillancourt
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
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Glazier DS. Beyond the '3/4-power law': variation in the intra- and interspecific scaling of metabolic rate in animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2006; 80:611-62. [PMID: 16221332 DOI: 10.1017/s1464793105006834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 582] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2003] [Revised: 05/27/2005] [Accepted: 06/08/2005] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In this review I show that the '3/4-power scaling law' of metabolic rate is not universal, either within or among animal species. Significant variation in the scaling of metabolic rate with body mass is described mainly for animals, but also for unicells and plants. Much of this variation, which can be related to taxonomic, physiological, and/or environmental differences, is not adequately explained by existing theoretical models, which are also reviewed. As a result, synthetic explanatory schemes based on multiple boundary constraints and on the scaling of multiple energy-using processes are advocated. It is also stressed that a complete understanding of metabolic scaling will require the identification of both proximate (functional) and ultimate (evolutionary) causes. Four major types of intraspecific metabolic scaling with body mass are recognized [based on the power function R=aMb, where R is respiration (metabolic) rate, a is a constant, M is body mass, and b is the scaling exponent]: Type I: linear, negatively allometric (b<1); Type II: linear, isometric (b=1); Type III: nonlinear, ontogenetic shift from isometric (b=1), or nearly isometric, to negatively allometric (b<1); and Type IV: nonlinear, ontogenetic shift from positively allometric (b>1) to one or two later phases of negative allometry (b<1). Ontogenetic changes in the metabolic intensity of four component processes (i.e. growth, reproduction, locomotion, and heat production) appear to be important in these different patterns of metabolic scaling. These changes may, in turn, be shaped by age (size)-specific patterns of mortality. In addition, major differences in interspecific metabolic scaling are described, especially with respect to mode of temperature regulation, body-size range, and activity level. A 'metabolic-level boundaries hypothesis' focusing on two major constraints (surface-area limits on resource/waste exchange processes and mass/volume limits on power production) can explain much, but not all of this variation. My analysis indicates that further empirical and theoretical work is needed to understand fully the physiological and ecological bases for the considerable variation in metabolic scaling that is observed both within and among species. Recommended approaches for doing this are discussed. I conclude that the scaling of metabolism is not the simple result of a physical law, but rather appears to be the more complex result of diverse adaptations evolved in the context of both physico-chemical and ecological constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas S Glazier
- Department of Biology, Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 16652, USA.
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Vaillancourt E, Prud'homme S, Haman F, Guglielmo CG, Weber JM. Energetics of a long-distance migrant shorebird (Philomachus pugnax) during cold exposure and running. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 208:317-25. [PMID: 15634851 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic consequences of cold exposure and exercise are not well characterized in birds. Ruff sandpipers Philomachus pugnax are migrant shorebirds traveling between Africa and Siberia for up to 30,000 km annually. Our goal was to quantify the fuel selection pattern of these remarkable athletes during shivering and terrestrial locomotion. We used indirect calorimetry and nitrogen excretion analysis to measure their rates of lipid, carbohydrate and protein oxidation at different temperatures (22, 15, 10 or 5 degrees C) and different treadmill speeds (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 m min(-1)). Results show that lipid oxidation supplies nearly all the energy necessary to support shivering and running, and that the pattern of oxidative fuel selection is independent of shivering or running intensity. During shivering, total ATP production is unequally shared between lipids (82%), carbohydrates (12%) and proteins (6%). During running, lipids remain the dominant substrate (66%), with carbohydrates (29%) and proteins (5%) playing more minor roles. The prevailing use of lipids during intense shivering and high-speed running is not consistent with the fuel selection pattern observed in exercising and cold-exposed mammals. The exact mechanisms allowing birds to use lipids at extremely high rates are still largely unexplored, and quantifying the relative importance of different fuels during long-distance flight remains a major challenge for future research.
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BROGGI JULI, ORELL MARKKU, HOHTOLA ESA, NILSSON JANÅKE. Metabolic response to temperature variation in the great tit: an interpopulation comparison. J Anim Ecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00872.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Guglielmo CG, Williams TD. Phenotypic flexibility of body composition in relation to migratory state, age, and sex in the western sandpiper (Calidris mauri). Physiol Biochem Zool 2003; 76:84-98. [PMID: 12695989 DOI: 10.1086/367942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2002] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the flexibility of body composition in relation to seasonally variable demands for endurance flight capacity and hyperphagia in a migratory shorebird. Migrating western sandpipers were sampled in spring and fall while refueling at a north temperate stopover and were compared with nonmigrating birds captured at a tropical wintering area in Panama. Sandpipers weighed 25% more at stopover, and nearly 40% of migratory mass increase consisted of lean body components. Most organs and flight muscles were 10%-100% larger during migration, and the greatest relative size increases occurred in the digestive system (including liver). Birds preparing to initiate spring migration from Panama deposited only fat, suggesting that changes in lean body components take place after migration has begun, possibly through training effects. Sex did not influence body composition. Juveniles making their first southward migration were similar to adults in structural size and body mass but had substantially enlarged alimentary tracts. Sandpipers appeared to deposit lean mass during stopover in fall but not in spring. The dramatic enlargement of the digestive system in this small species that makes short flights and fuels frequently contrasts with the reduction of digestive components in larger species that fuel only once or twice by making one or two very long flights to their destination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Guglielmo
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
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Dierschke V, Delingat J, Schmaljohann H. Time allocation in migrating Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) during stopover: Is refuelling limited by food availability or metabolically? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02465515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
Long-distance bird migration consists of a series of stopovers (for refuelling) and flights, with flights taking little time compared to stopovers. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that birds minimize the total time taken for migration through efficient stopover behaviour. Current optimality models for stopover include (1) the fixed expectation rule and (2) the global update rule. These rules maximize the speed of migration by determining the optimal departure fuel load for a given fuel deposition rate. We were interested in simple behavioural rules approaching the stopover behaviour of real birds and how these rules compare to the time minimizing models above with respect to the total time taken for migration. The simple strategies were to stay at a site (1) until a fixed fuel load was reached or (2) for a constant number of days. We simulated migration of small nocturnal passerine birds across an environment of continuously distributed but variable fuel deposition rates, and investigated the influence of different stopover strategies on the duration of migration. Staying for a constant number of days at each stopover site, irrespective of the fuel deposition rate, resulted in only slightly longer than minimum values for migration duration. Additionally, the constant stopover duration, e.g. 10 days, may change by a day or two (per stopover) without having a large effect on total migration duration. There is therefore a possibility that real birds may be close to optimal migration speed without the need for very complex behaviour. When assessing the sensitivity of migration duration to factors other than stopover duration, we found that flight costs, search and settling time, mean fuel deposition rate and the accuracy in the choice of flight direction were the factors with the largest influence. Our results suggest that migrating birds can approximate optimal stopover duration relatively easy with a simple rule, and that other factors, e.g. those above, are more relevant for travel time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Erni
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH-6204, Sempach, Switzerland.
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Ward S, Bishop CM, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ. Heart rate and the rate of oxygen consumption of flying and walking barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and bar-headed geese (Anser indicus). J Exp Biol 2002; 205:3347-56. [PMID: 12324544 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.205.21.3347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYWe tested the hypotheses that the relationship between heart rate(fH) and the rate of oxygen consumption(V̇O2) differs between walking and flying in geese and that fH and V̇O2 have a U-shaped relationship with flight speed. We trained barnacle geese Branta leucopsis (mean mass 2.1 kg) and bar-headed geese Anser indicus(mean mass 2.6 kg) to walk inside a respirometer on a treadmill and to fly in a wind tunnel with a respirometry mask at a range of speeds. We measured fH and V̇O2simultaneously during walking on the treadmill in five individuals of each species and in one bar-headed goose and four barnacle geese during flight in the wind tunnel. The relationships between fH and V̇O2 were significantly different between flying and walking. V̇O2 was higher,and the increment in V̇O2 for a given increase in fH was greater, for flying than for walking geese. The relationship between fH and V̇O2 of free-living barnacle geese during their natural migratory flights must differ from that measured in the wind tunnel, since the fH of wild migratory birds corresponds to values of V̇O2 that are unrealistically low when using the calibration relationship for our captive birds. Neither fH nor V̇O2 varied with flight velocity across the range of speeds over which the geese would fly sustainably.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ward
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
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Abstract
When an animal has to meet increased demands on its working capacity, for example, for thermoregulation or parental care, two strategies are available. The animal can reallocate energy from costly maintenance processes - such as immunological defence or DNA repair systems (compensation hypothesis) - or it may try to increase the rate of energy intake or efficiency of digestion by increasing the size of the alimentary tract (increased-intake hypothesis). By manipulating brood size, I affected parental effort among marsh tits (Parus palustris) as demonstrated by a significant increase in parental feeding rate with experimental brood size. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) increased both with manipulated brood size and individual feeding rate, supporting the predictions from the increased-intake hypothesis. Furthermore, I found a direct positive relation between BMR and energy expenditure, measured with the help of the doubly labelled water technique. The cost of achieving a higher working capacity is substantial since BMR increases more quickly than the surplus energy available for work. Since the cost of a high sustained workload was not primarily dependent on a reallocation of energy away from maintenance, such a cost should be searched for among the detrimental effects of a high metabolic rate per se, for example, an increased oxidative damage to DNA, proteins and lipids.
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Jenni-Eiermann S, Jenni L, Kvist A, Lindström A, Piersma T, Visser GH. Fuel use and metabolic response to endurance exercise: a wind tunnel study of a long-distance migrant shorebird. J Exp Biol 2002; 205:2453-60. [PMID: 12124368 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.205.16.2453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYThis study examines fuel use and metabolism in a group of long-distance migrating birds, red knots Calidris canutus (Scolopacidae), flying under controlled conditions in a wind tunnel for up to 10 h. Data are compared with values for resting birds fasting for the same time. Plasma levels of free fatty acids, glycerol and uric acid were elevated during flight, irrespective of flight duration (1-10 h). Triglyceride levels, the estimated concentration of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs) and β-hydroxybutyrate levels were lower during flight, while glucose levels did not change. In flying birds, plasma levels of uric acid and lipid catabolites were positively correlated with the residual variation in body mass loss, and lipid catabolites with energy expenditure (as measured using the doubly labelled water method), after removing the effect of initial body mass. The plasma metabolite levels indicate: (i) that the rates of catabolism of lipids from adipose tissue and of protein are higher during flight; (ii) that low ketone body concentrations probably facilitate fatty acid release from adipose tissue; (iii) that low triglyceride and VLDL levels do not indicate the use of an additional pathway of fatty acid delivery, as found in small birds; and(iv) that the relationships between energy expenditure, body mass loss and metabolic pattern suggest that a higher individual energy expenditure entails a higher rate of catabolism of both lipids and protein and not a shift in fuel substrate.
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Brodin A. Mass-dependent predation and metabolic expenditure in wintering birds: is there a trade-off between different forms of predation? Anim Behav 2001; 62:993-9. [DOI: 10.1006/anbe.2001.1844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Abstract
SUMMARY
Exercise-induced muscle damage is a well-described consequence of strenuous exercise, but its potential importance in the evolution of animal activity patterns is unknown. We used plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity as an indicator of muscle damage to investigate whether the high intensity, long-duration flights of two migratory shorebird species cause muscle damage that must be repaired during stopover. In two years of study, plasma CK activity was significantly higher in migrating western sandpipers (a non-synchronous, short-hop migrant), than in non-migrants. Similarly, in the bar-tailed godwit (a synchronous, long-jump migrant), plasma CK activity was highest immediately after arrival from a 4000–5000km flight from West Africa to The Netherlands, and declined before departure for the arctic breeding areas. Late-arriving godwits had higher plasma CK activity than birds that had been at the stopover site longer. Juvenile western sandpipers making their first southward migration had higher plasma CK activity than adults. These results indicate that muscle damage occurs during migration, and that it is exacerbated in young, relatively untrained birds. However, the magnitude of the increases in plasma CK activity associated with migratory flight were relatively small, suggesting that the level of muscle damage is moderate. Migrants may avoid damage behaviourally, or have efficient biochemical and physiological defences against muscle injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Guglielmo
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6 Canada.
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Battley PF, Dietz MW, Piersma T, Dekinga A, Tang S, Hulsman K. Is long-distance bird flight equivalent to a high-energy fast? Body composition changes in freely migrating and captive fasting great knots. Physiol Biochem Zool 2001; 74:435-49. [PMID: 11331517 DOI: 10.1086/320432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2001] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
We studied changes in body composition in great knots, Calidris tenuirostris, before and after a migratory flight of 5,400 km from northwest Australia to eastern China. We also took premigratory birds into captivity and fasted them down to their equivalent arrival mass after migration to compare organ changes and nutrient use in a low-energy-turnover fast with a high-energy-turnover fast (migratory flight). Migrated birds were as economical as any fasting animal measured yet at conserving protein: their estimated relative protein contribution (RPC) to the energy used was 4.0%. Fasted birds had an estimated RPC of 6.8% and, consequently, a much lower lean mass and higher fat content for an equivalent body mass than migrated birds. Lean tissue was catabolized from most organs in both groups, except the brain. Furthermore, a principal components biplot showed that individuals were grouped primarily on the basis of overall organ fat or lean tissue content rather than by the size of specific organs. This indicates that organ changes during migratory flight are similar to those of a low-energy fast, although the length of the fast in this study probably accentuated organ reductions in some functional groups. Whether the metabolic characteristics of a flying migratory fast follow the three-phase model described in many inactive fasting animals is unclear. We have some evidence for skeletal fat being catabolized without phase 3 of a fast having been reached.
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Affiliation(s)
- P F Battley
- Australian School of Environmental Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
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McWilliams SR, Karasov WH. Phenotypic flexibility in digestive system structure and function in migratory birds and its ecological significance. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2001; 128:579-93. [PMID: 11246046 DOI: 10.1016/s1095-6433(00)00336-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Birds during migration must satisfy the high energy and nutrient demands associated with repeated, intensive flight while often experiencing unpredictable variation in food supply and food quality. Solutions to such different challenges may often be physiologically incompatible. For example, increased food intake and gut size are primarily responsible for satisfying the high energy and nutrient demands associated with migration in birds. However, short-term fasting or food restriction during flight may cause partial atrophy of the gut that may limit utilization of ingested food energy and nutrients. We review the evidence available on the effects of long- and short-term changes in food quality and quantity on digestive performance in migratory birds, and the importance of digestive constraints in limiting the tempo of migration in birds. Another important physiological consequence of feeding in birds is the effect of diet on body composition dynamics during migration. Recent evidence suggests that birds utilize and replenish both protein and fat reserves during migration, and diet quality influences the rate of replenishment of both these reserves. We conclude that diet and phenotypic flexibility in both body composition and the digestive system of migratory birds are important in allowing birds to successfully overcome the often-conflicting physiological challenges of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R McWilliams
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
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Abstract
Conventionally, maximum capacities for energy assimilation are presented as daily averages. However, maximum daily energy intake is determined by the maximum metabolizable energy intake rate and the time available for assimilation of food energy. Thrush nightingales (Luscinia luscinia) in migratory disposition were given limited food rations for 3 d to reduce their energy stores. Subsequently, groups of birds were fed ad lib. during fixed time periods varying between 7 and 23 h per day. Metabolizable energy intake rate, averaged over the available feeding time, was 1.9 W and showed no difference between groups on the first day of refueling. Total daily metabolizable energy intake increased linearly with available feeding time, and for the 23-h group, it was well above suggested maximum levels for animals. We conclude that both intake rate and available feeding time must be taken into account when interpreting potential constraints acting on animals' energy budgets. In the 7-h group, energy intake rates increased from 1.9 W on the first day to 3.1 W on the seventh day. This supports the idea that small birds can adaptively increase their energy intake rates on a short timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kvist
- Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, Ecology Building, S-22362 Lund, Sweden.
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