Avian seasonal metabolic variation in a subtropical desert: Basal metabolic rates are lower in winter than in summer

Functional Ecology

Volumn 24, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 330-339

  Smit, Ben ^a,b   McKechnie, Andrew E ^a,c  

^a DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute   (South Africa)

^b UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND   (South Africa)

^c UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA   (South Africa)

Author keywords

Acclimatization; Cold tolerance; Energetics; Latitude; Phenotypic flexibility

Indexed keywords

ACCLIMATION; BIRD; CARBON DIOXIDE; COLD TOLERANCE; DESERT; ENERGY PLANNING; GENETIC VARIATION; HABITAT TYPE; LABORATORY METHOD; METABOLISM; OXYGEN CONSUMPTION; SEASONAL VARIATION; SPECIES DIVERSITY; SUBTROPICAL REGION; TOLERANCE; WATER PLANNING;

KALAHARI DESERT;

ATHENE BRAMA; AVES; DICRURUS ADSIMILIS; GLAUCIDIUM PERLATUM; LANIARIUS; LANIIDAE; OTUS; PLOCEINAE; PLOCEPASSER MAHALI; STRIGIFORMES;

EID: 77950289441     PISSN: 02698463     EISSN: 13652435     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01646.x     Document Type: Article

References (76)

1. Ambrose SJ, Bradshaw SD. Seasonal changes in standard metabolic rates in the white-browed scrubwren Sericornis frontalis (Acanthizidae) from arid, semi-arid and mesic environments. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 1988, 89A:79-83.
2. Baker WC, Pouchot JF. The measurement of gas flow. Part II. Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association 1983, 33:156-162.
3. de Beer SJ, Lockwood GM, Raijmakers JHFA, Raijmakers JMH, Scott WA, Oschadleus HD, Underhill LG. SAFRING Bird Ringing Manual. ADU Guide 5 2001, Avian Demography Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town
4. Blomberg SP, Garland T, Ives AR. Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: behavioral traits are more labile. Evolution 2003, 57:717-745.
5. Bush NG, Brown M, Downs CT. Seasonal effects on thermoregulatory responses of the Rock Kestrel, Falco rupicolis. Journal of Thermal Biology 2008, 33:404-412.
6. Cooper SJ. Seasonal energetics of mountain chickadees and juniper titmice. Condor 2000, 102:635-644.
7. Cooper SJ, Swanson DL. Seasonal acclimatization of thermoregulation in the black-capped chickadee. Condor 1994, 96:638-646.
8. Dawson WR. Plasticity in avian responses to thermal challenges - an essay in honor of Jacob Marder. Israeli Journal of Zoology 2003, 49:95-109.
9. Dawson WR, Carey C. Seasonal acclimation to temperature in Cardueline finches. Journal of Comparative Physiology 1976, 112:317-333.
10. Dawson WR, Marsh RL. Metabolic acclimatization to cold and season in birds. Physiology of Cold Adaptation in Birds 1988, 83-94. Bech C, Reinertsen RE. eds, pp, Plenum Press, New York
11. Dawson WR, Marsh RL, Buttemer WA, Carey C. Seasonal and geographic variation of cold resistance in house finches. Physiological Zoology 1983, 56:353-369.
12. Doucette LI, Geiser F. Seasonal variation in thermal energetics of the Australian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 2008, 151:615-620.
13. Dutenhoffer MS, Swanson DL. Relationship of basal to summit metabolic rate in passerine birds and the aerobic capacity model for the evolution of endothermy. Physiological Zoology 1996, 69:1232-1254.
14. Garland T, Harvey PH, Ives AR. Procedures for the analysis of comparative data using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Systematic Biology 1992, 41:18-32.
15. Garland T, Dickerman AW, Janis CM, Jones JA. Phylogenetic analysis of covariance by computer simulation. Systematic Biology 1993, 42:265-292.
16. Gill FB, Mostrom AM, Mack AL. Speciation in North American chickadees: I. patterns of mtDNA genetic divergence. Evolution 1993, 47:195-212.
17. Hackett SJ, Kimball RT, Reddy S, Bowie RCK, Braun EL, Chojnowski JL, Cox WA, Han K-L, Harshman J, Huddleston CJ, Marks BD, Miglia KJ, Moore WS, Sheldon FH, Steadman DW, Witt CC, Yuri T. A phylogenetic study of birds reveals their evolutionary history. Science 2008, 320:1763-1768.
18. Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ, Ryan PG. Roberts Birds of Southern Africa 2005, 7th edn, John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town
19. Jetz W, Freckleton RP, McKechnie AE. Environment, migratory tendency, phylogeny and basal metabolic rate in birds. PLoS ONE 2008, 3:e3261.
20. Karasov WH. Tests of adaptive modulation hypothesis for diet control of intestinal nutrient transport. American Journal of Physiology 1992, 263:R496-R502.
21. Klaassen M, Oltrogge M, Trost L. Basal metabolic rate, food intake, and body mass in cold- and warm-acclimated garden warblers. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 2004, 137:639-647.
22. Lasiewski RC, Acosta AL, Bernstein MH. Evaporative water loss in birds - I. Characteristics of the open flow method of determination, and their relation to estimates of thermoregulatory ability. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 1966, 19:445-457.
23. Liknes ET, Scott SM, Swanson DL. Seasonal acclimatization in the American Goldfinch revisited: to what extent do metabolic rates vary seasonally? Condor 2002, 104:548-557.
24. Liknes ET, Swanson DL. Seasonal variation in cold tolerance, basal metabolic rate, and maximal capacity for thermogenesis in white-breasted nuthatches Sitta carolinensis and downy woodpeckers Picoides pubescens, two unrelated arboreal temperate residents. Journal of Avian Biology 1996, 27:279-288.
25. Lill A, Box J, Baldwin J. Do metabolism and contour plumage insulation vary in response to seasonal energy bottlenecks in superb fairy-wrens? Australian Journal of Zoology 2006, 54:23-30.
26. Lovegrove BG. The Living Deserts of Southern Africa 1993, Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg
27. Lovegrove BG. The zoogeography of mammalian basal metabolic rate. American Naturalist 2000, 156:201-219.
28. Lovegrove BG. The influence of climate on the basal metabolic rate of small mammals: a slow-fast metabolic continuum. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 2003, 173:87-112.
29. Lovegrove BG. Seasonal thermoregulatory responses in mammals. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 2005, 175:231-247.
30. Maclean GL. Ecophysiology of Desert Birds 1996, Springer-Verlag, Berlin
31. Maddocks TA, Geiser F. Seasonal variations in thermal energetics of Australian silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis). Journal of Zoology, London 2000, 252:327-333.
32. Maldonado KE, Cavieres G, Veloso C, Canals M, Sabat P. Physiological responses in rufous-collared sparrows to thermal acclimation and seasonal acclimatization. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 2009, 179:335-343.
33. Marsh RL, Dawson WR. Avian adjustments to cold. Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology 4: Animal Adaptation to the Cold 1989, 206-253. Wang LCH, ed, pp, Springer-Verlag, Berlin
34. McKechnie AE. Phenotypic flexibility in basal metabolic rate and the changing view of avian physiological diversity: a review. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 2008, 173:235-247.
35. McKechnie AE, Chetty K, Lovegrove BG. Phenotypic flexibility in basal metabolic rate in Laughing Doves: responses to short-term thermal acclimation. Journal of Experimental Biology 2007, 210:97-106.
36. McKechnie AE, Freckleton RP, Jetz W. Phenotypic plasticity in the scaling of avian basal metabolic rate. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2006, 273:931-937.
37. Merola-Zwartjes M, Ligon JD. Ecological energetics of the Puerto Rican tody: heterothermy, torpor and intra-island variation. Ecology 2000, 81:990-1002.
38. Meyer J, Steinhauser J, Jeltsch F, Brandl R. Large trees, acacia shrubs, and the density of Thallomys nigricauda in the thornveld savannah of South Africa. Journal of Arid Environments 2007, 68:363-370.
39. Mezhzherin VA. Dehnel's phenomenon and its possible explanation. Acta Theriologica 1964, 8:95-114.
40. O'Conner TP. Metabolic characteristics and body composition in house finches: effects of seasonal acclimatization. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 1995, 165:298-305.
41. O'Connor TP. Geographic variation in metabolic seasonal acclimatization in house finches. Condor 1996, 98:371-381.
42. Piersma T, Drent J. Phenotypic flexibility and the evolution of organismal design. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 2003, 18:228-233.
43. Pigliucci M. Phenotypic Plasticity: Beyond Nature and Nurture 2001, Johns Hopkins University Press, Balfimore
44. Pohl H. Seasonal variation in metabolic functions of bramblings. Ibis 1971, 113:185-193.
45. Pohl H, West GC. Daily and seasonal variation in metabolic response to cold during rest and exercise in the common redpoll. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 1973, 45A:851-867.
46. Purvis A, Garland T. Polytomies in comparative analyses of continuous characters. Systematic Biology 1993, 42:569-575.
47. Rising JD, Hudson JW. Seasonal variation in the metabolism and thyroid activity of the black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus). Condor 1974, 76:198-203.
48. Saarela S, Klapper B, Heldmaier G. Daily rhythm of oxygen consumption and thermoregulatory responses in some European winter- or summer-acclimatized finches at different ambient temperatures. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 1995, 165:366-376.
49. Sibley CG, Ahlquist JE. Phylogeny and Classification of Bird 1990, Yale University Press, New Haven
50. Siegel HS. Physiological stress in birds. BioScience 1980, 30:529-534.
51. Southwick EE. Seasonal thermoregulatory adjustments in white-crowned sparrows. Auk 1980, 97:76-85.
52. Swanson DL. Seasonal variation in cold hardiness and peak rates of cold-induced thermogenesis in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). Auk 1990, 107:561-566.
53. Swanson DL. Seasonal adjustments in metabolism and insulation in the Dark-eyed Junco. Condor 1991, 93:538-545.
54. Swanson DL. Seasonal metabolic variation in birds: functional and mechanistic correlates. Current Ornithology 17. in press
55. Swanson DL, Liknes ET. A comparative analysis of thermogenic capacity and cold tolerance in small birds. Journal of Experimental Biology 2006, 209:466-474.
56. Swanson DL, Olmstead KL. Evidence for a proximate influence of winter temperatures on metabolism in passerine birds. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 1999, 72:566-575.
57. Swanson DL, Weinacht DP. Seasonal effects on metabolism and thermoregulation in northern bobwhite. Condor 1997, 99:478-489.
58. Tieleman BI, Williams JB. The adjustment of avian metabolic rates and water fluxes to desert environments. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 2000, 73:461-479.
59. Tieleman BI, Williams JB, Bloomer P. Adaptation of metabolic rate and evaporative water loss along an aridity gradient. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2003a, 270:207-214.
60. Tieleman BI, Williams JB, Buschur ME, Brown CR. Phenotypic variation of larks along an aridity gradient: are desert birds more flexible? Ecology 2003b, 84:1800-1815.
61. Vézina F, Williams TD. Plasticity in body composition in breeding birds: what drives the metabolic costs of egg production? Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 2003, 76:716-730.
62. Vézina F, Williams TD. The metabolic cost of egg production is repeatable. Journal of Experimental Biology 2005, 208:2533-2538.
63. Vezina F, Jalvingh K, Dekinga A, Piersma T. Acclimation to different thermal conditions in a northerly wintering shorebird is driven by body mass-related changes in organ size. Journal of Experimental Biology 2006, 209:3141-3154.
64. Walsberg GE, Wolf BO. Variation in the respirometry quotient of birds and implications for indirect calorimetry using measurements of carbon dioxide production. Journal of Experimental Biology 1995, 198:213-219.
65. Weathers WW, Caccamise DF. Seasonal acclimatization to temperature in monk parakeets. Oecologia 1978, 35:173-183.
66. West GC. The effect of acclimation and acclimatization on the resting metabolic rate of the common redpoll. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 1972, 43A:293-310.
67. White CR, Blackburn TM, Martin GR, Butler PJ. The basal metabolic rate of birds is associated with habitat temperature and precipitation, not productivity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2007, 274:287-293.
68. Wijnandts H. Ecological energetics of the long-eared owl (Asio otus). Ardea 1984, 72:1-92.
69. Williams JB, Tieleman BI. Flexibility in basal metabolic rate and evaporative water loss among hoopoe larks exposed to different environmental temperatures. Journal of Experimental Biology 2000, 203:3153-3159.
70. Williams JB, Tieleman BI. Physiological adaptation in desert birds. BioScience 2005, 55:416-425.
71. Wingfield JC, Farner DS. Endocrinology of reproduction in wild species. Avian Biology, Volume IX 1993, 163-327. Farner DS, King JRParkes KC. eds, pp, Academic Press, San Diego, Caifornia, USA
72. Withers PC. Measurement of VO2, VCO2, and evaporative water loss with a flow- through mask. Journal of Applied Physiology 1977, 42:120-123.
73. Withers PC. Comparative Animal Physiology 1992, Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth
74. Wolf CM, Garland T, Griffith B. Predictors of avian and mammalian translocation success: reanalysis with phylogenetically independent contrasts. Biological Conservation 2001, 86:243-255.
75. Zheng W-H, Li M, Liu J-S, Shao S-L. Seasonal acclimatization of metabolism in Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 2008a, 151:519-525.
76. Zheng W-H, Liu J-S, Jiang X-H, Fang Y-Y, Zhang G-K. Seasonal variation on metabolism and thermoregulation in Chinese bulbul. Journal of Thermal Biology 2008b, 33:315-319.