Thermoregulation in fasting emperor penguins under natural conditions

1976 ◽  
Vol 231 (3) ◽  
pp. 913-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Le Maho ◽  
P Delclitte ◽  
J Chatonnet

Emperor penguins breed during the cold antarctic winter. The males incubate the single egg while fasting for up to 4 mo and losing some 20 kg of their body mass. Fasting captive birds under outdoor conditions lost from 0.145 to 0.434 kg day -1. Mean resting metabolic rate, 49.06 W for 24.8 kg body mass, is 7 and 27%, respectively, higher than predicted from general metabolic equations for birds. Minimal thermal conductance, 1.31 W m-2 degrees C-1, is within the range for other birds. The lower critical temperature is about -10 degrees C; this can be related to large body size (20-40 kg) and to body shape, giving a smaller relative surface area than for other birds. Rigidity of the feathers explains why winds of moderate speed (up to 5 m s-1) have little effect on heat loss. At very low temperatures the behavior of huddling close together is essential in reducing metabolic rate. Without this behavior, survival during the long fast (up to four mo) at winter temperatures would be impossible.

1980 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 888-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Dewasmes ◽  
Y. Le Maho ◽  
A. Cornet ◽  
R. Groscolas

During the Antarctic winter emperor penguins fast for up to 120 days when breeding at rookeries, which may be as much as 120 km from open water. Emperors have lost almost half of their body mass by the time they walk back to the sea to feed. Resting metabolic rate and metabolic rate during treadmill walking at 1.4 km times h-1 were measured regularly along the course of 63-118 days of fasting in four emperors that lost between 33 and 55% of their body mass. Resting metabolic rate decreased linearly with body mass throughout the fast; it was 76 and 50 W at 39 and 18 kg body mass, respectively, which therefore corresponds to a limited increase in the resting metabolic rate per unit of body mass. There was a considerable decrease in the metabolic rate for walking at 1.4 km times h-1, from 340 to 140 W at body masses of 39 and 18 kg, respectively; this decrease was linear with body mass but at a steeper rate below 23 kg. From 39 to 23 kg, the cost of walking per unit of body mass remained constant. Below 23 kg (a point where about 2.5 kg of fat remain), the increased efficiency for walking may be due to a change in the mechanics of locomotion.


1981 ◽  
Vol 240 (3) ◽  
pp. R156-R165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Le Maho ◽  
M. Goffart ◽  
A. Rochas ◽  
H. Felbabel ◽  
J. Chatonnet

The night monkey, a tropical monkey, is the only nocturnal simian; its thermoregulation was studied for comparison with other nocturnal or diurnal primates and other tropical mammals. Resting metabolic rate was 2.6 W (closed-circuit method) and 2.8 W (open-circuit method), 24 and 18% below the value predicted from body mass. The thermoneutral zone was very narrow; the lower critical temperature (LCT) was 28 degrees C and the upper critical temperature (UCT) was 30 degrees C. The body temperature (Tb) was at its minimum (38 degrees C) at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 25 degrees C, thus below the LCT. At low Ta, the increase in metabolic rate (MR) was smaller than predicted by the Scholander model, since MR intersected to a Ta 13 degrees C above Tb when extrapolated to MR = 0; this was attributed to a decrease of body surface area by behavior. The thermal conductance at the LCT was low: 2.3 W . m-2 . degrees C-1. Above the UCT, panting was the major avenue of heat loss. The response pattern of nocturnal habits, low resting metabolic rate, low thermal conductance, and panting in the night monkey, unique among simians, is found in many other mammals of tropical and hot desert habitats; it may be considered as an alternative adaptation to the thermal environment.


The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 966-970
Author(s):  
Mark Williamson ◽  
Joseph B. Williams ◽  
Erica Nol

Abstract Abstract The Semipalmated Plover (Charadriussemipalmatus), anarctic-nesting migratory shorebird, regularlyencounters low temperatures during the breedingseason. We measured the basal metabolism of adultsduring incubation at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada todetermine basal metabolic rate (BMR),lower critical temperature(Tlc), total evaporative waterloss (TEWL), and dry thermal conductance(Cm). BMR and Tlcwere 47.4 kJ day−1and 23.3°C, respectively, TEWL was2.5 mL H2O−d,and Cm was1.13 mW g−1 °C−1.Measured BMR and Tlc were consistentwith high values found for other shorebird speciesbreeding in the Arctic, while Cm was18% higher than predicted from allometricequations. These metabolic data suggest thatSemipalmated Plovers are adapted to balance therequirements of incubation against energetic andthermoregulatory demands in the Arctic, especiallyin harsh early breeding season conditions.


1976 ◽  
Vol 231 (3) ◽  
pp. 903-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Pinshow ◽  
MA Fedak ◽  
DR Battles ◽  
K Schmidt-Nielsen

During the antarctic winter emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) spend up to four mo fasting while they breed at rookeries 80 km or more from the sea, huddling close together in the cold. This breeding cycle makes exceptional demands on their energy reserves, and we therefore studied their thermoregulation and locomotion. Rates of metabolism were measured in five birds (mean body mass, 23.37 kg) at ambient temperatures ranging from 25 to -47 degrees C. Between 20 and -10 degrees C the metabolic rate (standard metabolic rate (SMR)) remained neraly constant, about 42.9 W. Below -10 degrees C metabolic rate increased lineraly with decreasing ambient temperature and at -47 degrees C it was 70% above the SMR. Mean thermal conductance below -10 degrees C was 1.57 W m-2 degrees C-1. Metabolic rate during treadmill walking increased linearly with increasing speed. Our data suggest that walking 200 km (from the sea to the rookery and back) requires less than 15% of the energy reserves of a breeding male emperor penguin initially weighing 35 kg. The high energy requirement for thermoregulation (about 85%) would, in the absence of huddling, probably exceed the total energy reserves.


2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 221-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Melzer ◽  
Yves Schutz ◽  
Nina Soehnchen ◽  
Veronique Othenin Girard ◽  
Begona Martinez de Tejada ◽  
...  

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1787-1792 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. Cuyler ◽  
N. A. Øritsland

Lying and standing metabolic rates were determined for two tame Svalbard reindeer while the animals were in their winter lethargic state during January and February. Mean nonfasting metabolic rates for the 59-kg animals were 1.25 W∙kg−1 for lying and 1.64 W∙kg−1 for standing at rest. So the metabolic rate for standing at rest was about 1.3 times the lying resting metabolic rate (RMR). For Svalbard reindeer the lying RMR was 66–78% of the values for other reindeer/caribou, and was 78–89% of the predicted value. The standing RMR was 44–88% of the values from other reindeer/caribou. Total body thermal conductance was 1.95 ± 0.17 W∙°C−1 for lying and 3.08 ± 0.77 W∙°C−1 for standing at rest. The daily energy expenditure during winter was estimated to be about 9654 kJ∙day−1 or 112 W, and was 1.5 times Kleiber's predicted basal metabolic rate. By remaining lying 45% of the time rather than 35% Svalbard reindeer may conserve the equivalent of about 15 days' energy requirement over the winter. With locomotion at 2% of the winter daily activity budget, the Svalbard reindeer conserve about 21 days' energy expenditure, more than that if locomotion were 8.2% of the budget as in caribou (Boertje 1985). Thus, their low energy expenditures for lying and standing and their sedentary activity budget may be considered energy-saving and survival strategies. It is possible that disturbances, which cause the animals to increase activity, may have a detrimental effect on their overall winter energy balance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 272-279
Author(s):  
Danijel Slavic ◽  
Dea Karaba-Jakovljevic ◽  
Andrea Zubnar ◽  
Borislav Tapavicki ◽  
Tijana Aleksandric ◽  
...  

Introduction. The difference between 24-hour daily energy intake and total daily energy expenditure determines whether we lose or gain weight. The resting metabolic rate is the major component of daily energy expenditure, which depends on many different factors, but also on the level of physical activity. The aim of the study was to determine anthropometric and metabolic parameters of athletes engaged in different types of training, to compare obtained results and to examine whether there are statistically significant differences among them. Material and Methods. The study included a total of 42 young male athletes divided into two groups. The first group included 21 athletes who were predominantly engaged in aerobic type of training, and the other group of 21 athletes in anaerobic type of training. Anthropometric measurements were taken and resting metabolic rate was assessed using the indirect calorimetry method. The results were statistically analyzed and the differences in parameters between the two groups were compared. Results. Statistically significant differences were established in total body mass, amount of fat-free mass and muscle mass, body mass index, as well as in the relative metabolic indices between two groups of subjects. Conclusion. The percentage of fat-free body mass has the greatest impact on the resting metabolic rate. The rate of metabolic activity of this body compartment is higher in athletes engaged in aerobic than in athletes engaged in anaerobic type of training.


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