51
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O'Mara MT, Scharf AK, Fahr J, Abedi-Lartey M, Wikelski M, Dechmann DKN, Safi K. Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration in Straw-Colored Fruit Bats Increases in Headwinds but Not With Airspeed. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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52
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Teague O'Mara M, Wikelski M, Kranstauber B, Dechmann DKN. First three-dimensional tracks of bat migration reveal large amounts of individual behavioral flexibility. Ecology 2019; 100:e02762. [PMID: 31127630 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M Teague O'Mara
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, Radolfzell, 78315, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstr. 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätstr. 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, Radolfzell, 78315, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstr. 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, Radolfzell, 78315, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurstr. 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Dina K N Dechmann
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, Radolfzell, 78315, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstr. 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
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53
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Pagano AM, Williams TM. Estimating the energy expenditure of free-ranging polar bears using tri-axial accelerometers: A validation with doubly labeled water. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4210-4219. [PMID: 31015999 PMCID: PMC6468055 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Measures of energy expenditure can be used to inform animal conservation and management, but methods for measuring the energy expenditure of free-ranging animals have a variety of limitations. Advancements in biologging technologies have enabled the use of dynamic body acceleration derived from accelerometers as a proxy for energy expenditure. Although dynamic body acceleration has been shown to strongly correlate with oxygen consumption in captive animals, it has been validated in only a few studies on free-ranging animals. Here, we use relationships between oxygen consumption and overall dynamic body acceleration in resting and walking polar bears Ursus maritimus and published values for the costs of swimming in polar bears to estimate the total energy expenditure of 6 free-ranging polar bears that were primarily using the sea ice of the Beaufort Sea. Energetic models based on accelerometry were compared to models of energy expenditure on the same individuals derived from doubly labeled water methods. Accelerometer-based estimates of energy expenditure on average predicted total energy expenditure to be 30% less than estimates derived from doubly labeled water. Nevertheless, accelerometer-based measures of energy expenditure strongly correlated (r 2 = 0.70) with measures derived from doubly labeled water. Our findings highlight the strengths and limitations in dynamic body acceleration as a measure of total energy expenditure while also further supporting its use as a proxy for instantaneous, detailed energy expenditure in free-ranging animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M. Pagano
- Alaska Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyAnchorageAlaska
- Present address:
Institute for Conservation ResearchSan Diego Zoo GlobalSan DiegoCalifornia
| | - Terrie M. Williams
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of California, Santa CruzSanta CruzCalifornia
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54
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Patterson A, Gilchrist HG, Chivers L, Hatch S, Elliott K. A comparison of techniques for classifying behavior from accelerometers for two species of seabird. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3030-3045. [PMID: 30962879 PMCID: PMC6434605 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The behavior of many wild animals remains a mystery, as it is difficult to quantify behavior of species that cannot be easily followed throughout their daily or seasonal movements. Accelerometers can solve some of these mysteries, as they collect activity data at a high temporal resolution (<1 s), can be relatively small (<1 g) so they minimally disrupt behavior, and are increasingly capable of recording data for long periods. Nonetheless, there is a need for increased validation of methods to classify animal behavior from accelerometers to promote widespread adoption of this technology in ecology. We assessed the accuracy of six different behavioral assignment methods for two species of seabird, thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) and black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). We identified three behaviors using tri-axial accelerometers: standing, swimming, and flying, after classifying diving using a pressure sensor for murres. We evaluated six classification methods relative to independent classifications from concurrent GPS tracking data. We used four variables for classification: depth, wing beat frequency, pitch, and dynamic acceleration. Average accuracy for all methods was >98% for murres, and 89% and 93% for kittiwakes during incubation and chick rearing, respectively. Variable selection showed that classification accuracy did not improve with more than two (kittiwakes) or three (murres) variables. We conclude that simple methods of behavioral classification can be as accurate for classifying basic behaviors as more complex approaches, and that identifying suitable accelerometer metrics is more important than using a particular classification method when the objective is to develop a daily activity or energy budget. Highly accurate daily activity budgets can be generated from accelerometer data using multiple methods and a small number of accelerometer metrics; therefore, identifying a suitable behavioral classification method should not be a barrier to using accelerometers in studies of seabird behavior and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Patterson
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecCanada
| | - Hugh Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change CanadaNational Wildlife Research CentreOttawaOntarioCanada
| | | | - Scott Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and ConservationAnchorageAlaska
| | - Kyle Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecCanada
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55
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Forin-Wiart MA, Enstipp MR, LE Maho Y, Handrich Y. Why implantation of bio-loggers may improve our understanding of how animals cope within their natural environment. Integr Zool 2019; 14:48-64. [PMID: 30251470 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Bio-loggers are miniaturized autonomous devices that record quantitative data on the state of free-ranging animals (e.g. behavior, position and physiology) and their natural environment. This is especially relevant for species where direct visual observation is difficult or impossible. Today, ongoing technical development allows the monitoring of numerous parameters in an increasing range of species over extended periods. However, the external attachment of devices might affect various aspects of animal performance (energetics, thermoregulation, foraging as well as social and reproductive behavior), which ultimately affect fitness. External attachment might also increase entanglement risk and the conspicuousness of animals, leaving them more vulnerable to predation. By contrast, implantation of devices can mitigate many of these undesirable effects and might be preferable, especially for long-term studies, provided that the many challenges associated with surgical procedures can be mastered. Implantation may then allow us to gather data that would be impossible to obtain otherwise and thereby may provide new and ecologically relevant insights into the life of wild animals. Here, we: (i) discuss the pros and cons of attachment methods; (ii) highlight recent field studies that used implanted bio-loggers to address eco-physiological questions in a wide range of species; and (iii) discuss logger implantation in light of ethical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Amélie Forin-Wiart
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France
| | - Manfred R Enstipp
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France.,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Yvon LE Maho
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France.,Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, Monaco
| | - Yves Handrich
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France
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56
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Greif S, Yovel Y. Using on-board sound recordings to infer behaviour of free-moving wild animals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/Suppl_1/jeb184689. [PMID: 30728226 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.184689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Technological advances in the last 20 years have enabled researchers to develop increasingly sophisticated miniature devices (tags) that record an animal's behaviour not from an observational, external viewpoint, but directly on the animals themselves. So far, behavioural research with these tags has mostly been conducted using movement or acceleration data. But on-board audio recordings have become more and more common following pioneering work in marine mammal research. The first questions that come to mind when recording sound on-board animals concern their vocal behaviour. When are they calling? How do they adjust their behaviour? What acoustic parameters do they change and how? However, other topics like foraging behaviour, social interactions or environmental acoustics can now be addressed as well and offer detailed insight into the animals' daily life. In this Review, we discuss the possibilities, advantages and limitations of on-board acoustic recordings. We focus primarily on bats as their active-sensing, echolocating lifestyle allows many approaches to a multi-faceted acoustic assessment of their behaviour. The general ideas and concepts, however, are applicable to many animals and hopefully will demonstrate the versatility of on-board acoustic recordings and stimulate new research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Greif
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel .,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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57
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Yoda K. Advances in bio-logging techniques and their application to study navigation in wild seabirds. Adv Robot 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/01691864.2018.1553686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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58
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Investigating Home Range, Movement Pattern, and Habitat Selection of Bar-headed Geese during Breeding Season at Qinghai Lake, China. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:ani8100182. [PMID: 30340319 PMCID: PMC6209964 DOI: 10.3390/ani8100182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Bar-headed Goose is the only true goose species or Anserinae to migrate solely within the Central Asian Flyway, and thus, it is an ideal species for observing the effects of both land use and climate change throughout the flyway. In this paper, we investigate the home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) during the breeding season at Qinghai Lake, which is one of their largest breeding areas and a major migration staging area in the flyway. We identified several areas used by the geese during the breeding season along the shoreline of Qinghai Lake and found that most geese had more than one core use area and daily movements that provided insight into their breeding activity. We also observed the intensive use of specific wetlands and habitats near Qinghai Lake. These data provide interesting insights into the movement ecology of this important species and also provide critical information for managers seeking to understand and respond to conservation concerns threatening Bar-headed Geese, such as landscape and habitat changes.
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59
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Complex behaviour in complex terrain - Modelling bird migration in a high resolution wind field across mountainous terrain to simulate observed patterns. J Theor Biol 2018; 454:126-138. [PMID: 29874554 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.05.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Crossing of large ecological barriers, such as mountains, is in terms of energy considered to be a demanding and critical step during bird migration. Besides forming a geographical barrier, mountains have a profound impact on the resulting wind flow. We use a novel framework of mathematical models to investigate the influences of wind and topography on nocturnal passerine bird behaviour, and to assess the energy costs for different flight strategies for crossing the Jura Mountains. The mathematical models include three biological models of bird behaviour: i) wind drift compensation; ii) adaptation of flight height for favourable winds; and, iii) avoidance of obstacles (cross over and/or circumvention of an obstacle following a minimum energy expenditure strategy), which are assessed separately and in combination. Further, we use a mesoscale weather model for high-resolution predictions of the wind fields. We simulate the broad front nocturnal passerine migration for autumn nights with peak migration intensities. The bird densities retrieved from a weather radar are used as the initial intensities and to specify the vertical distributions of the simulated birds. It is shown that migration over complex terrain represents the most expensive flight option in terms of energy expenditure, and wind is seen to be the main factor that influences the energy expenditure in the bird's preferred flight direction. Further, the combined effects of wind and orography lead to a high concentration of migratory birds within the favourable wind conditions of the Swiss lowlands and north of the Jura Mountains.
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60
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Jendroszek A, Malte H, Overgaard CB, Beedholm K, Natarajan C, Weber RE, Storz JF, Fago A. Allosteric mechanisms underlying the adaptive increase in hemoglobin-oxygen affinity of the bar-headed goose. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb185470. [PMID: 30026237 PMCID: PMC6176913 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.185470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The high blood-O2 affinity of the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) is an integral component of the biochemical and physiological adaptations that allow this hypoxia-tolerant species to undertake migratory flights over the Himalayas. The high blood-O2 affinity of this species was originally attributed to a single amino acid substitution of the major hemoglobin (Hb) isoform, HbA, which was thought to destabilize the low-affinity T state, thereby shifting the T-R allosteric equilibrium towards the high-affinity R state. Surprisingly, this mechanistic hypothesis has never been addressed using native proteins purified from blood. Here, we report a detailed analysis of O2 equilibria and kinetics of native major HbA and minor HbD isoforms from bar-headed goose and greylag goose (Anser anser), a strictly lowland species, to identify and characterize the mechanistic basis for the adaptive change in Hb function. We find that HbA and HbD of bar-headed goose have consistently higher O2 affinities than those of the greylag goose. The corresponding Hb isoforms of the two species are equally responsive to physiological allosteric cofactors and have similar Bohr effects. Thermodynamic analyses of O2 equilibrium curves according to the two-state Monod-Wyman-Changeaux model revealed higher R-state O2 affinities in the bar-headed goose Hbs, associated with lower O2 dissociation rates, compared with the greylag goose. Conversely, the T state was not destabilized and the T-R allosteric equilibrium was unaltered in bar-headed goose Hbs. The physiological implication of these results is that increased R-state affinity allows for enhanced O2 saturation in the lungs during hypoxia, but without impairing O2 delivery to tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hans Malte
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Kristian Beedholm
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Roy E Weber
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Angela Fago
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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61
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Flack A, Nagy M, Fiedler W, Couzin ID, Wikelski M. From local collective behavior to global migratory patterns in white storks. Science 2018; 360:911-914. [PMID: 29798883 DOI: 10.1126/science.aap7781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Soaring migrant birds exploit columns of rising air (thermals) to cover large distances with minimal energy. Using social information while locating thermals may benefit such birds, but examining collective movements in wild migrants has been a major challenge for researchers. We investigated the group movements of a flock of 27 naturally migrating juvenile white storks by using high-resolution GPS and accelerometers. Analyzing individual and group movements on multiple scales revealed that a small number of leaders navigated to and explored thermals, whereas followers benefited from their movements. Despite this benefit, followers often left thermals earlier and at lower height, and consequently they had to flap considerably more. Followers also migrated less far annually than did leaders. We provide insights into the interactions between freely flying social migrants and the costs and benefits of collective movement in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Flack
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany. .,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Máté Nagy
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. .,Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Konstanz, Germany.,MTA-ELTE Statistical and Biological Physics Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Iain D Couzin
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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62
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Senner NR, Stager M, Verhoeven MA, Cheviron ZA, Piersma T, Bouten W. High-altitude shorebird migration in the absence of topographical barriers: avoiding high air temperatures and searching for profitable winds. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0569. [PMID: 30051848 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nearly 20% of all bird species migrate between breeding and nonbreeding sites annually. Their migrations include storied feats of endurance and physiology, from non-stop trans-Pacific crossings to flights at the cruising altitudes of jetliners. Despite intense interest in these performances, there remains great uncertainty about which factors most directly influence bird behaviour during migratory flights. We used GPS trackers that measure an individual's altitude and wingbeat frequency to track the migration of black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa) and identify the abiotic factors influencing their in-flight migratory behaviour. We found that godwits flew at altitudes above 5000 m during 21% of all migratory flights, and reached maximum flight altitudes of nearly 6000 m. The partial pressure of oxygen at these altitudes is less than 50% of that at sea level, yet these extremely high flights occurred in the absence of topographical barriers. Instead, they were associated with high air temperatures at lower altitudes and increasing wind support at higher altitudes. Our results therefore suggest that wind, temperature and topography all play a role in determining migratory behaviour, but that their relative importance is context dependent. Extremely high-altitude flights may thus not be especially rare, but they may only occur in very specific environmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands .,Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Maria Stager
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790, AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Bouten
- Computational Geo-Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, 1098, XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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63
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Lague SL, Chua B, Alza L, Scott GR, Frappell PB, Zhong Y, Farrell AP, McCracken KG, Wang Y, Milsom WK. Divergent respiratory and cardiovascular responses to hypoxia in bar-headed geese and Andean birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:4186-4194. [PMID: 29141880 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.168799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many high-altitude vertebrates have evolved increased capacities in their oxygen transport cascade (ventilation, pulmonary diffusion, circulation and tissue diffusion), enhancing oxygen transfer from the atmosphere to mitochondria. However, the extent of interspecies variation in the control processes that dictate hypoxia responses remains largely unknown. We compared the metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory responses to progressive decreases in inspired oxygen levels of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), birds that biannually migrate across the Himalayan mountains, with those of Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera) and crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides), lifelong residents of the high Andes. We show that Andean geese and crested ducks have evolved fundamentally different mechanisms for maintaining oxygen supply during low oxygen (hypoxia) from those of bar-headed geese. Bar-headed geese respond to hypoxia with robust increases in ventilation and heart rate, whereas Andean species increase lung oxygen extraction and cardiac stroke volume. We propose that transient high-altitude performance has favoured the evolution of robust convective oxygen transport recruitment in hypoxia, whereas life-long high-altitude residency has favoured the evolution of structural enhancements to the lungs and heart that increase lung diffusion and stroke volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine L Lague
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Beverly Chua
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Luis Alza
- Department of Biology and Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology and University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.,Department of Ornithology, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad, Lima, Peru
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | - Peter B Frappell
- Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Yang Zhong
- Institute of Biodiversity Science and Institute of High Altitude Medicine, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China.,School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Anthony P Farrell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4.,Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Kevin G McCracken
- Department of Biology and Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology and University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Yuxiang Wang
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6
| | - William K Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
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64
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Portugal
- School of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
| | - Craig R. White
- Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton, Melbourne Vic. Australia
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65
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Dominoni DM, Åkesson S, Klaassen R, Spoelstra K, Bulla M. Methods in field chronobiology. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0247. [PMID: 28993491 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronobiological research has seen a continuous development of novel approaches and techniques to measure rhythmicity at different levels of biological organization from locomotor activity (e.g. migratory restlessness) to physiology (e.g. temperature and hormone rhythms, and relatively recently also in genes, proteins and metabolites). However, the methodological advancements in this field have been mostly and sometimes exclusively used only in indoor laboratory settings. In parallel, there has been an unprecedented and rapid improvement in our ability to track animals and their behaviour in the wild. However, while the spatial analysis of tracking data is widespread, its temporal aspect is largely unexplored. Here, we review the tools that are available or have potential to record rhythms in the wild animals with emphasis on currently overlooked approaches and monitoring systems. We then demonstrate, in three question-driven case studies, how the integration of traditional and newer approaches can help answer novel chronobiological questions in free-living animals. Finally, we highlight unresolved issues in field chronobiology that may benefit from technological development in the future. As most of the studies in the field are descriptive, the future challenge lies in applying the diverse technologies to experimental set-ups in the wild.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide M Dominoni
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands .,Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ, UK
| | - Susanne Åkesson
- Centre for Animal Movement Research, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - Raymond Klaassen
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Kamiel Spoelstra
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Bulla
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands.,Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague 16521, Czech Republic
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66
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Ivy CM, York JM, Lague SL, Chua BA, Alza L, McCracken KG, Milsom WK, Scott GR. Validation of a Pulse Oximetry System for High-Altitude Waterfowl by Examining the Hypoxia Responses of the Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera). Physiol Biochem Zool 2018. [DOI: 10.1086/697053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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67
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Molecular basis of hemoglobin adaptation in the high-flying bar-headed goose. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007331. [PMID: 29608560 PMCID: PMC5903655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
During the adaptive evolution of a particular trait, some selectively fixed mutations may be directly causative and others may be purely compensatory. The relative contribution of these two classes of mutation to adaptive phenotypic evolution depends on the form and prevalence of mutational pleiotropy. To investigate the nature of adaptive substitutions and their pleiotropic effects, we used a protein engineering approach to characterize the molecular basis of hemoglobin (Hb) adaptation in the high-flying bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), a hypoxia-tolerant species renowned for its trans-Himalayan migratory flights. To test the effects of observed substitutions on evolutionarily relevant genetic backgrounds, we synthesized all possible genotypic intermediates in the line of descent connecting the wildtype bar-headed goose genotype with the most recent common ancestor of bar-headed goose and its lowland relatives. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed one major-effect mutation that significantly increased Hb-O2 affinity on all possible genetic backgrounds. Two other mutations exhibited smaller average effect sizes and less additivity across backgrounds. One of the latter mutations produced a concomitant increase in the autoxidation rate, a deleterious side-effect that was fully compensated by a second-site mutation at a spatially proximal residue. The experiments revealed three key insights: (i) subtle, localized structural changes can produce large functional effects; (ii) relative effect sizes of function-altering mutations may depend on the sequential order in which they occur; and (iii) compensation of deleterious pleiotropic effects may play an important role in the adaptive evolution of protein function.
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68
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Hawkes LA, Batbayar N, Butler PJ, Chua B, Frappell PB, Meir JU, Milsom WK, Natsagdorj T, Parr N, Scott GR, Takekawa JY, WikeIski M, Witt MJ, Bishop CM. Do Bar-Headed Geese Train for High Altitude Flights? Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:240-251. [PMID: 28859401 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
SYNOPSIS Exercise at high altitude is extremely challenging, largely due to hypobaric hypoxia (low oxygen levels brought about by low air pressure). In humans, the maximal rate of oxygen consumption decreases with increasing altitude, supporting progressively poorer performance. Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) are renowned high altitude migrants and, although they appear to minimize altitude during migration where possible, they must fly over the Tibetan Plateau (mean altitude 4800 m) for much of their annual migration. This requires considerable cardiovascular effort, but no study has assessed the extent to which bar-headed geese may train prior to migration for long distances, or for high altitudes. Using implanted loggers that recorded heart rate, acceleration, pressure, and temperature, we found no evidence of training for migration in bar-headed geese. Geese showed no significant change in summed activity per day or maximal activity per day. There was also no significant change in maximum heart rate per day or minimum resting heart rate, which may be evidence of an increase in cardiac stroke volume if all other variables were to remain the same. We discuss the strategies used by bar-headed geese in the context of training undertaken by human mountaineers when preparing for high altitude, noting the differences between their respective cardiovascular physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A Hawkes
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10?9FE, UK
| | - Nyambayar Batbayar
- Wildlife Science and Conservation Center, Bayanzurkh District, Ulaanbataar 210351, Mongolia
| | - Patrick J Butler
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15?2TT, UK
| | - Beverley Chua
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Peter B Frappell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | | | - William K Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | | | - Nicole Parr
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10?9FE, UK
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 3K1
| | - John Y Takekawa
- Audubon California, Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Tiburon, CA 94920, USA
| | - Martin WikeIski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz D-78457, Germany
| | - Matthew J Witt
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Environment and Sustainability Institute, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10?9FE, UK
| | - Charles M Bishop
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57?2UW, UK
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69
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Bidder OR, Goulding C, Toledo A, van Walsum TA, Siebert U, Halsey LG. Does the Treadmill Support Valid Energetics Estimates of Field Locomotion? Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:301-319. [PMID: 28859410 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
SYNOPSIS Quantifying animal energy expenditure during locomotion in the field is generally based either on treadmill measurements or on estimates derived from a measured proxy. Two common proxies are heart rate (ƒH) and dynamic body acceleration (accelerometry). Both ƒH and accelerometry have been calibrated extensively under laboratory conditions, which typically involve prompting the animal to locomote on a treadmill at different speeds while simultaneously recording its rate of oxygen uptake (V̇o2) and the proxy. Field estimates of V̇o2 during locomotion obtained directly from treadmill running or from treadmill-calibrated proxies make assumptions about similarities between running in the field and in the laboratory. The present study investigated these assumptions, focusing on humans as a tractable species. First we investigated experimentally if and how the rate of energy expenditure during treadmill locomotion differs to that during field locomotion at the same speeds, with participants walking and running on a treadmill, on tarmac, and on grass, while wearing a mobile respirometry system. V̇o2 was substantially higher during locomotion in both of the field conditions compared with on a level treadmill: 9.1% on tarmac and 17.7% on grass. Second, we included these data in a meta-analysis of previous, related studies. The results were influenced by the studies excluded due to particulars of the experiment design, suggesting that participant age, the surface type, and the degree of turning during field locomotion may influence by how much treadmill and field locomotion V̇o2 differ. Third, based on our experiments described earlier, we investigated the accuracy of treadmill-calibrated accelerometry and ƒH for estimating V̇o2 in the field. The mean algebraic estimate errors varied between 10% and 35%, with the ƒH associated errors being larger than those derived from accelerometry. The mean algebraic errors were all underestimates of field V̇o2, by around 10% for fH and varying between 0% and 15% for accelerometry. Researchers should question and consider how accurately a treadmill-derived proxy calibration of V̇o2 will estimate V̇o2 during terrestrial locomotion in free-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen R Bidder
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, Büsum 25761, Germany.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Colette Goulding
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15?4JD, UK
| | - Alejandra Toledo
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15?4JD, UK
| | - Tessa A van Walsum
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15?4JD, UK
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, Büsum 25761, Germany
| | - Lewis G Halsey
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London SW15?4JD, UK
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70
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50 years of comparative biochemistry: The legacy of Peter Hochachka. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 224:1-11. [PMID: 29501788 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Peter Hochachka was an early pioneer in the field of comparative biochemistry. He passed away in 2002 after 4 decades of research in the discipline. To celebrate his contributions and to coincide with what would have been his 80th birthday, a group of his former students organized a symposium that ran as a satellite to the 2017 Canadian Society of Zoologists annual meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). This Special Issue of CBP brings together manuscripts from symposium attendees and other authors who recognize the role Peter played in the evolution of the discipline. In this article, the symposium organizers and guest editors look back on his career, celebrating his many contributions to research, acknowledging his role in training of generations of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in comparative biochemistry and physiology.
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71
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Wang X, Cao L, Bysykatova I, Xu Z, Rozenfeld S, Jeong W, Vangeluwe D, Zhao Y, Xie T, Yi K, Fox AD. The Far East taiga forest: unrecognized inhospitable terrain for migrating Arctic-nesting waterbirds? PeerJ 2018; 6:e4353. [PMID: 29479493 PMCID: PMC5824675 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The degree of inhospitable terrain encountered by migrating birds can dramatically affect migration strategies and their evolution as well as influence the way we develop our contemporary flyway conservation responses to protect them. We used telemetry data from 44 tagged individuals of four large-bodied, Arctic breeding waterbird species (two geese, a swan and one crane species) to show for the first time that these birds fly non-stop over the Far East taiga forest, despite their differing ecologies and migration routes. This implies a lack of suitable taiga refuelling habitats for these long-distance migrants. These results underline the extreme importance of northeast China spring staging habitats and of Arctic areas prior to departure in autumn to enable birds to clear this inhospitable biome, confirming the need for adequate site safeguard to protect these populations throughout their annual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Inga Bysykatova
- Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolitozone, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Zhenggang Xu
- Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Sonia Rozenfeld
- Bird Ringing Centre of Russia, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Wooseog Jeong
- Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Didier Vangeluwe
- Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yunlin Zhao
- Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
| | - Tianhe Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kunpeng Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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72
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Bodey TW, Cleasby IR, Bell F, Parr N, Schultz A, Votier SC, Bearhop S. A phylogenetically controlled meta‐analysis of biologging device effects on birds: Deleterious effects and a call for more standardized reporting of study data. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. Bodey
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Ian R. Cleasby
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Fraser Bell
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Nicole Parr
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Anthony Schultz
- GeneCology Research CentreUniversity of the Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Qld Australia
| | - Stephen C. Votier
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
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73
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O'Mara MT, Rikker S, Wikelski M, Ter Maat A, Pollock HS, Dechmann DKN. Heart rate reveals torpor at high body temperatures in lowland tropical free-tailed bats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:171359. [PMID: 29308259 PMCID: PMC5750026 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Reduction in metabolic rate and body temperature is a common strategy for small endotherms to save energy. The daily reduction in metabolic rate and heterothermy, or torpor, is particularly pronounced in regions with a large variation in daily ambient temperature. This applies most strongly in temperate bat species (order Chiroptera), but it is less clear how tropical bats save energy if ambient temperatures remain high. However, many subtropical and tropical species use some daily heterothermy on cool days. We recorded the heart rate and the body temperature of free-ranging Pallas' mastiff bats (Molossus molossus) in Gamboa, Panamá, and showed that these individuals have low field metabolic rates across a wide range of body temperatures that conform to high ambient temperature. Importantly, low metabolic rates in controlled respirometry trials were best predicted by heart rate, and not body temperature. Molossus molossus enter torpor-like states characterized by low metabolic rate and heart rates at body temperatures of 32°C, and thermoconform across a range of temperatures. Flexible metabolic strategies may be far more common in tropical endotherms than currently known.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Teague O'Mara
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Panamá
- Author for correspondence: M. Teague O'Mara e-mail:
| | - Sebastian Rikker
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Panamá
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Andries Ter Maat
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Henry S. Pollock
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Dina K. N. Dechmann
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Panamá
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74
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Shepard ELC, Williamson C, Windsor SP. Fine-scale flight strategies of gulls in urban airflows indicate risk and reward in city living. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0394. [PMID: 27528784 PMCID: PMC4992718 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds modulate their flight paths in relation to regional and global airflows in order to reduce their travel costs. Birds should also respond to fine-scale airflows, although the incidence and value of this remains largely unknown. We resolved the three-dimensional trajectories of gulls flying along a built-up coastline, and used computational fluid dynamic models to examine how gulls reacted to airflows around buildings. Birds systematically altered their flight trajectories with wind conditions to exploit updraughts over features as small as a row of low-rise buildings. This provides the first evidence that human activities can change patterns of space-use in flying birds by altering the profitability of the airscape. At finer scales still, gulls varied their position to select a narrow range of updraught values, rather than exploiting the strongest updraughts available, and their precise positions were consistent with a strategy to increase their velocity control in gusty conditions. Ultimately, strategies such as these could help unmanned aerial vehicles negotiate complex airflows. Overall, airflows around fine-scale features have profound implications for flight control and energy use, and consideration of this could lead to a paradigm-shift in the way ecologists view the urban environment.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cara Williamson
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
| | - Shane P Windsor
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
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75
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Butler PJ. The physiological basis of bird flight. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0384. [PMID: 27528774 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Flapping flight is energetically more costly than running, although it is less costly to fly a given body mass a given distance per unit time than it is for a similar mass to run the same distance per unit time. This is mainly because birds can fly faster than they can run. Oxygen transfer and transport are enhanced in migrating birds compared with those in non-migrators: at the gas-exchange regions of the lungs the effective area is greater and the diffusion distance smaller. Also, migrating birds have larger hearts and haemoglobin concentrations in the blood, and capillary density in the flight muscles tends to be higher. Species like bar-headed geese migrate at high altitudes, where the availability of oxygen is reduced and the energy cost of flapping flight increased compared with those at sea level. Physiological adaptations to these conditions include haemoglobin with a higher affinity for oxygen than that in lowland birds, a greater effective ventilation of the gas-exchange surface of the lungs and a greater capillary-to-muscle fibre ratio. Migrating birds use fatty acids as their source of energy, so they have to be transported at a sufficient rate to meet the high demand. Since fatty acids are insoluble in water, birds maintain high concentrations of fatty acid-binding proteins to transport fatty acids across the cell membrane and within the cytoplasm. The concentrations of these proteins, together with that of a key enzyme in the β-oxidation of fatty acids, increase before migration.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Butler
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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76
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Guillemette M, Woakes AJ, Larochelle J, Polymeropoulos ET, Granbois JM, Butler PJ, Pelletier D, Frappell PB, Portugal SJ. Does hyperthermia constrain flight duration in a short-distance migrant? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0386. [PMID: 27528776 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While some migratory birds perform non-stop flights of over 11 000 km, many species only spend around 15% of the day in flight during migration, posing a question as to why flight times for many species are so short. Here, we test the idea that hyperthermia might constrain flight duration (FD) in a short-distance migrant using remote biologging technology to measure heart rate, hydrostatic pressure and body temperature in 19 migrating eider ducks (Somateria mollissima), a short-distance migrant. Our results reveal a stop-and-go migration strategy where migratory flights were frequent (14 flights day(-1)) and short (15.7 min), together with the fact that body temperature increases by 1°C, on average, during such flights, which equates to a rate of heat storage index (HSI) of 4°C h(-1) Furthermore, we could not find any evidence that short flights were limited by heart rate, together with the fact that the numerous stops could not be explained by the need to feed, as the frequency of dives and the time spent feeding were comparatively small during the migratory period. We thus conclude that hyperthermia appears to be the predominant determinant of the observed migration strategy, and suggest that such a physiological limitation to FD may also occur in other species.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magella Guillemette
- Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1
| | | | | | - Elias T Polymeropoulos
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Jean-Marc Granbois
- Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1
| | - Patrick J Butler
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - David Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1 Cégep de Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 4H6
| | | | - Steven J Portugal
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
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77
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Sherub S, Bohrer G, Wikelski M, Weinzierl R. Behavioural adaptations to flight into thin air. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0432. [PMID: 28120805 PMCID: PMC5095188 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Soaring raptors can fly at high altitudes of up to 9000 m. The behavioural adjustments to high-altitude flights are largely unknown. We studied thermalling flights of Himalayan vultures (Gyps himalayensis) from 50 to 6500 m above sea level, a twofold range of air densities. To create the necessary lift to support the same weight and maintain soaring flight in thin air birds might modify lift coefficient by biophysical changes, such as wing posture and increasing the power expenditure. Alternatively, they can change their flight characteristics. We show that vultures use the latter and increase circle radius by 35% and airspeed by 21% over their flight altitude range. These simple behavioural adjustments enable vultures to move seamlessly during their annual migrations over the Himalaya without increasing energy output for flight at high elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherub Sherub
- Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research, Bumthang, Bhutan .,Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 87457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Gil Bohrer
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 87457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Rolf Weinzierl
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 87457 Konstanz, Germany
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78
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Weegman MD, Bearhop S, Hilton GM, Walsh AJ, Griffin L, Resheff YS, Nathan R, David Fox A. Using accelerometry to compare costs of extended migration in an arctic herbivore. Curr Zool 2017; 63:667-674. [PMID: 29492028 PMCID: PMC5804222 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how individuals manage costs during the migration period is challenging because individuals are difficult to follow between sites; the advent of hybrid Global Positioning System–acceleration (ACC) tracking devices enables researchers to link spatial and temporal attributes of avian migration with behavior for the first time ever. We fitted these devices on male Greenland white-fronted geese Anser albifrons flavirostris wintering at 2 sites (Loch Ken, Scotland and Wexford, Ireland) to understand whether birds migrating further during spring fed more on wintering and staging areas in advance of migration episodes. Although Irish birds flew significantly further (ca. 300 km) than Scottish birds during spring, their cumulative hours of migratory flight, flight speed during migration, and overall dynamic body ACC (i.e., a proxy for energy expenditure) were not significantly different. Further, Irish birds did not feed significantly more or expend significantly more energy in advance of migration episodes. These results suggest broad individual plasticity in this species, although Scottish birds arriving on breeding areas in Greenland with greater energy stores (because they migrated less) may be better prepared for food scarcity, which might increase their reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitch D Weegman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK.,Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucester GL2 7BT, UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Geoff M Hilton
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucester GL2 7BT, UK
| | - Alyn J Walsh
- National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford, Ireland
| | - Larry Griffin
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, Eastpark Farm, Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire DG1 4RS, UK
| | - Yehezkel S Resheff
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Ran Nathan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Anthony David Fox
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Kalø, Grenåvej 14, Rønde DK-8410, Denmark
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79
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O'Mara MT, Wikelski M, Voigt CC, Ter Maat A, Pollock HS, Burness G, Desantis LM, Dechmann DK. Cyclic bouts of extreme bradycardia counteract the high metabolism of frugivorous bats. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28923167 PMCID: PMC5605195 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Active flight requires the ability to efficiently fuel bursts of costly locomotion while maximizing energy conservation during non-flying times. We took a multi-faceted approach to estimate how fruit-eating bats (Uroderma bilobatum) manage a high-energy lifestyle fueled primarily by fig juice. Miniaturized heart rate telemetry shows that they use a novel, cyclic, bradycardic state that reduces daily energetic expenditure by 10% and counteracts heart rates as high as 900 bpm during flight. Uroderma bilobatum support flight with some of the fastest metabolic incorporation rates and dynamic circulating cortisol in vertebrates. These bats will exchange fat reserves within 24 hr, meaning that they must survive on the food of the day and are at daily risk of starvation. Energetic flexibly in U. bilobatum highlights the fundamental role of ecological pressures on integrative energetic networks and the still poorly understood energetic strategies of animals in the tropics. To survive, all animals have to balance how much energy they take in and how much they use. They must find enough food to fuel the chemical processes that keep them alive – known as their metabolism – and store leftover fuel to use when food is not available. Bats, for example, have a fast metabolism and powerful flight muscles, which require a lot of energy. Some bat species, such as the tent-making bats, survive on fruit juice, and their food sources are often far apart and difficult to find. These bats are likely to starve if they go without food for more than 24 hours, and therefore need to conserve energy while they are resting. To deal with potential food shortages, bats and other animals can enter a low-energy resting state called torpor. In this state, animals lower their body temperature and slow down their heart rate and metabolism so that they need less energy to stay alive. However, many animals that live in tropical regions, including tent-making bats, cannot enter a state of torpor, as it is too hot to sufficiently lower their body temperature. Until now, scientists did not fully understand how these bats control how much energy they use. Now, O’Mara et al. studied tent-making bats in the wild by attaching small heart rate transmitters to four wild bats, and measured their heartbeats over several days. Since each heartbeat delivers oxygen and fuel to the rest of the body, measuring the bats’ heart rate indicates how much energy they are using. The experiments revealed for the first time that tent-making bats periodically lower their heart rates while resting (to around 200 beats per minute). This reduces the amount of energy they use each day by up to 10%, and helps counteract heart rates that can reach 900 beats per minute when the bats are flying. Overall, these findings show that animals have evolved in various ways to control their use of energy. Future research should use similar technology to continue uncovering how wild animals have adapted to survive in different conditions. This knowledge will help us to understand how life has become so diverse in the tropics and the strategies that animals may use as climates change.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Teague O'Mara
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.,Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Andries Ter Maat
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Starnberg, Germany
| | - Henry S Pollock
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
| | - Gary Burness
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
| | - Lanna M Desantis
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
| | - Dina Kn Dechmann
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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80
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Sahashi G, Morita K. Adoption of alternative migratory tactics: a view from the ultimate mechanism and threshold trait changes in a salmonid fish. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Genki Sahashi
- Div. of Biosphere Science; Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Hokkaido Univ., Hakodate; Hokkaido Japan
- Dept of Aquatic Life Science; Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The Univ. of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku; JP-113-8657 Tokyo Japan
| | - Kentaro Morita
- Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency; Sapporo Japan
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81
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Laguë SL. High-altitude champions: birds that live and migrate at altitude. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2017; 123:942-950. [PMID: 28839002 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00110.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
High altitude is physiologically challenging for vertebrate life for many reasons, including hypoxia (low environmental oxygen); yet, many birds thrive at altitude. Compared with mammals, birds have additional enhancements to their oxygen transport cascade, the conceptual series of steps responsible for acquiring oxygen from the environment and transporting it to the mitochondria. These adaptations have allowed them to inhabit a number of high-altitude regions. Waterfowl are a taxon prolific at altitude. This minireview explores the physiological responses of high-altitude waterfowl (geese and ducks), comparing the strategies of lifelong high-altitude residents to those of transient high-altitude performers, providing insight into how birds champion high-altitude life. In particular, this review highlights and contrasts the physiological hypoxia responses of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), birds that migrate biannually through the Himalayas (4,500-6,500 m), and Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera), lifelong residents of the Andes (4,000-5,500 m). These two species exhibit markedly different ventilatory and cardiovascular strategies for coping with hypoxia: bar-headed geese robustly increase convective oxygen transport elements (i.e., heart rate and total ventilation) whereas Andean geese rely predominantly on enhancements that are likely morphological in origin (i.e., increases in lung oxygen diffusion and cardiac stroke volume). The minireview compares the short- and long-term cardiovascular and ventilatory trade-offs of these different physiological strategies and offers hypotheses surrounding their origins. It also draws parallels to high-altitude human physiology and research, and identifies a number of areas of further research. The field of high-altitude avian physiology offers a unique and broadly applicable insight into physiological enhancements in hypoxia.
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82
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Su Y, Li D, Gaur U, Chen B, Zhao X, Wang Y, Yin H, Zhu Q. The comparison of blood characteristics in low- and high-altitude chickens. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/1828051x.2017.1355272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Su
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Diyan Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Uma Gaur
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Binlong Chen
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaoling Zhao
- Department of Animal Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Huadong Yin
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Qing Zhu
- Department of Animal Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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83
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Shamoun-Baranes J, Liechti F, Vansteelant WMG. Atmospheric conditions create freeways, detours and tailbacks for migrating birds. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:509-529. [PMID: 28508130 PMCID: PMC5522504 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1181-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The extraordinary adaptations of birds to contend with atmospheric conditions during their migratory flights have captivated ecologists for decades. During the 21st century technological advances have sparked a revival of research into the influence of weather on migrating birds. Using biologging technology, flight behaviour is measured across entire flyways, weather radar networks quantify large-scale migratory fluxes, citizen scientists gather observations of migrant birds and mechanistic models are used to simulate migration in dynamic aerial environments. In this review, we first introduce the most relevant microscale, mesoscale and synoptic scale atmospheric phenomena from the point of view of a migrating bird. We then provide an overview of the individual responses of migrant birds (when, where and how to fly) in relation to these phenomena. We explore the cumulative impact of individual responses to weather during migration, and the consequences thereof for populations and migratory systems. In general, individual birds seem to have a much more flexible response to weather than previously thought, but we also note similarities in migratory behaviour across taxa. We propose various avenues for future research through which we expect to derive more fundamental insights into the influence of weather on the evolution of migratory behaviour and the life-history, population dynamics and species distributions of migrant birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy Shamoun-Baranes
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Felix Liechti
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Wouter M G Vansteelant
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Vansteelant Eco Research, Dijkgraaf 35, 6721 NJ, Bennekom, The Netherlands
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84
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Bio-logging, new technologies to study conservation physiology on the move: a case study on annual survival of Himalayan vultures. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:531-542. [PMID: 28612235 PMCID: PMC5522509 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1180-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Bio-logging, the on-animal deployment of miniaturised electronic data recorders, allows for the study of location, body position, and physiology of individuals throughout their ontogeny. For terrestrial animals, 1 Hz GPS-position, 3D-body acceleration, and ambient temperature provide standard data to link to the physiology of life histories. Environmental context is added at ever finer scales using remote sensing earth observation data. Here we showcase the use of such bio-logging approaches in a conservation physiology study on endangered Himalayan vultures (Gyps himalayensis). We determine environmental, behavioural, and physiological causes of survival in immature birds that roam from wintering sites in India, Bhutan, and Nepal towards summer areas in Tibet and Mongolia. Five of 18 immature griffons died during one year. Individuals that died had failed to migrate sufficiently far northward (>1500 km) in spring. Individuals likely died if they flew against headwinds from the north or were less able to find thermal updrafts. Surviving individuals migrated to cold and dry areas with low population density. We highlight flight experience, long distance movements, and remote places with low human population as factors critical for the survival of Himalayan vultures. High-resolution bio-logging studies can advance conservation management by pinpointing where and why migratory animals have problems and die.
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85
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Hicks O, Burthe S, Daunt F, Butler A, Bishop C, Green JA. Validating accelerometry estimates of energy expenditure across behaviours using heart rate data in a free-living seabird. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:1875-1881. [PMID: 28258086 PMCID: PMC5450806 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.152710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Two main techniques have dominated the field of ecological energetics: the heart rate and doubly labelled water methods. Although well established, they are not without their weaknesses, namely expense, intrusiveness and lack of temporal resolution. A new technique has been developed using accelerometers; it uses the overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) of an animal as a calibrated proxy for energy expenditure. This method provides high-resolution data without the need for surgery. Significant relationships exist between the rate of oxygen consumption (V̇O2 ) and ODBA in controlled conditions across a number of taxa; however, it is not known whether ODBA represents a robust proxy for energy expenditure consistently in all natural behaviours and there have been specific questions over its validity during diving, in diving endotherms. Here, we simultaneously deployed accelerometers and heart rate loggers in a wild population of European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis). Existing calibration relationships were then used to make behaviour-specific estimates of energy expenditure for each of these two techniques. Compared with heart rate-derived estimates, the ODBA method predicts energy expenditure well during flight and diving behaviour, but overestimates the cost of resting behaviour. We then combined these two datasets to generate a new calibration relationship between ODBA and V̇O2 that accounts for this by being informed by heart rate-derived estimates. Across behaviours we found a good relationship between ODBA and V̇O2 Within individual behaviours, we found useable relationships between ODBA and V̇O2 for flight and resting, and a poor relationship during diving. The error associated with these new calibration relationships mostly originates from the previous heart rate calibration rather than the error associated with the ODBA method. The equations provide tools for understanding how energy constrains ecology across the complex behaviour of free-living diving birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Hicks
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
| | - Sarah Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Adam Butler
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Charles Bishop
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Jonathan A Green
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
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86
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Sur M, Suffredini T, Wessells SM, Bloom PH, Lanzone M, Blackshire S, Sridhar S, Katzner T. Improved supervised classification of accelerometry data to distinguish behaviors of soaring birds. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174785. [PMID: 28403159 PMCID: PMC5389810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Soaring birds can balance the energetic costs of movement by switching between flapping, soaring and gliding flight. Accelerometers can allow quantification of flight behavior and thus a context to interpret these energetic costs. However, models to interpret accelerometry data are still being developed, rarely trained with supervised datasets, and difficult to apply. We collected accelerometry data at 140Hz from a trained golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) whose flight we recorded with video that we used to characterize behavior. We applied two forms of supervised classifications, random forest (RF) models and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) models. The KNN model was substantially easier to implement than the RF approach but both were highly accurate in classifying basic behaviors such as flapping (85.5% and 83.6% accurate, respectively), soaring (92.8% and 87.6%) and sitting (84.1% and 88.9%) with overall accuracies of 86.6% and 92.3% respectively. More detailed classification schemes, with specific behaviors such as banking and straight flights were well classified only by the KNN model (91.24% accurate; RF = 61.64% accurate). The RF model maintained its accuracy of classifying basic behavior classification accuracy of basic behaviors at sampling frequencies as low as 10Hz, the KNN at sampling frequencies as low as 20Hz. Classification of accelerometer data collected from free ranging birds demonstrated a strong dependence of predicted behavior on the type of classification model used. Our analyses demonstrate the consequence of different approaches to classification of accelerometry data, the potential to optimize classification algorithms with validated flight behaviors to improve classification accuracy, ideal sampling frequencies for different classification algorithms, and a number of ways to improve commonly used analytical techniques and best practices for classification of accelerometry data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maitreyi Sur
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tony Suffredini
- Sky Patrol Abatement, Simi Valley, California, United States of America
| | - Stephen M. Wessells
- U.S. Geological Survey Henderson, Henderson, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Peter H. Bloom
- Bloom Biological, Santa Ana, California, United States of America
| | - Michael Lanzone
- Cellular Tracking Technologies, Rio Grande, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Sheldon Blackshire
- Cellular Tracking Technologies, Rio Grande, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Srisarguru Sridhar
- Department of Computer Science, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Todd Katzner
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
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87
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Actogram analysis of free-flying migratory birds: new perspectives based on acceleration logging. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:543-564. [PMID: 28343237 PMCID: PMC5522517 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1165-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of accelerometers has become an important part of biologging techniques for large-sized birds with accelerometer data providing information about flight mode, wing-beat pattern, behaviour and energy expenditure. Such data show that birds using much energy-saving soaring/gliding flight like frigatebirds and swifts can stay airborne without landing for several months. Successful accelerometer studies have recently been conducted also for free-flying small songbirds during their entire annual cycle. Here we review the principles and possibilities for accelerometer studies in bird migration. We use the first annual actograms (for red-backed shrike Lanius collurio) to explore new analyses and insights that become possible with accelerometer data. Actogram data allow precise estimates of numbers of flights, flight durations as well as departure/landing times during the annual cycle. Annual and diurnal rhythms of migratory flights, as well as prolonged nocturnal flights across desert barriers are illustrated. The shifting balance between flight, rest and different intensities of activity throughout the year as revealed by actogram data can be used to analyse exertion levels during different phases of the life cycle. Accelerometer recording of the annual activity patterns of individual birds will open up a new dimension in bird migration research.
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88
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Maina JN, McCracken KG, Chua B, York JM, Milsom WK. Morphological and morphometric specializations of the lung of the Andean goose, Chloephaga melanoptera: A lifelong high-altitude resident. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174395. [PMID: 28339478 PMCID: PMC5365123 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
High altitude flight in rarefied, extremely cold and hypoxic air is a very challenging activity. Only a few species of birds can achieve it. Hitherto, the structure of the lungs of such birds has not been studied. This is because of the rarity of such species and the challenges of preparing well-fixed lung tissue. Here, it was posited that in addition to the now proven physiological adaptations, high altitude flying birds will also have acquired pulmonary structural adaptations that enable them to obtain the large amounts of oxygen (O2) needed for flight at high elevation, an environment where O2 levels are very low. The Andean goose (Chloephaga melanoptera) normally resides at altitudes above 3000 meters and flies to elevations as high as 6000 meters where O2 becomes limiting. In this study, its lung was morphologically- and morphometrically investigated. It was found that structurally the lungs are exceptionally specialized for gas exchange. Atypically, the infundibulae are well-vascularized. The mass-specific volume of the lung (42.8 cm3.kg-1), the mass-specific respiratory surface area of the blood-gas (tissue) barrier (96.5 cm2.g-1) and the mass-specific volume of the pulmonary capillary blood (7.44 cm3.kg-1) were some of the highest values so far reported in birds. The pulmonary structural specializations have generated a mass-specific total (overall) pulmonary morphometric diffusing capacity of the lung for oxygen (DLo2) of 0.119 mlO2.sec-1.mbar-1.kg-1, a value that is among some of the highest ones in birds that have been studied. The adaptations of the lung of the Andean goose possibly produce the high O2 conductance needed to live and fly at high altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- John N. Maina
- Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Kevin G. McCracken
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, United States of America
| | - Beverly Chua
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Julia M. York
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - William K. Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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89
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Sunnucks P, Morales HE, Lamb AM, Pavlova A, Greening C. Integrative Approaches for Studying Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genome Co-evolution in Oxidative Phosphorylation. Front Genet 2017; 8:25. [PMID: 28316610 PMCID: PMC5334354 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2017.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In animals, interactions among gene products of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes (mitonuclear interactions) are of profound fitness, evolutionary, and ecological significance. Most fundamentally, the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes responsible for cellular bioenergetics are formed by the direct interactions of 13 mitochondrial-encoded and ∼80 nuclear-encoded protein subunits in most animals. It is expected that organisms will develop genomic architecture that facilitates co-adaptation of these mitonuclear interactions and enhances biochemical efficiency of OXPHOS complexes. In this perspective, we present principles and approaches to understanding the co-evolution of these interactions, with a novel focus on how genomic architecture might facilitate it. We advocate that recent interdisciplinary advances assist in the consolidation of links between genotype and phenotype. For example, advances in genomics allow us to unravel signatures of selection in mitochondrial and nuclear OXPHOS genes at population-relevant scales, while newly published complete atomic-resolution structures of the OXPHOS machinery enable more robust predictions of how these genes interact epistatically and co-evolutionarily. We use three case studies to show how integrative approaches have improved the understanding of mitonuclear interactions in OXPHOS, namely those driving high-altitude adaptation in bar-headed geese, allopatric population divergence in Tigriopus californicus copepods, and the genome architecture of nuclear genes coding for mitochondrial functions in the eastern yellow robin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Sunnucks
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, ClaytonVIC, Australia
| | - Hernán E. Morales
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, ClaytonVIC, Australia
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of GothenburgGothenburg, Sweden
| | - Annika M. Lamb
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, ClaytonVIC, Australia
| | - Alexandra Pavlova
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, ClaytonVIC, Australia
| | - Chris Greening
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, ClaytonVIC, Australia
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90
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Halsey LG. Relationships grow with time: a note of caution about energy expenditure‐proxy correlations, focussing on accelerometry as an example. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis G. Halsey
- University of Roehampton Holybourne Avenue LondonSW15 4JD UK
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91
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Jeanniard-du-Dot T, Trites AW, Arnould JPY, Speakman JR, Guinet C. Flipper strokes can predict energy expenditure and locomotion costs in free-ranging northern and Antarctic fur seals. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33912. [PMID: 27658718 PMCID: PMC5034273 DOI: 10.1038/srep33912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Flipper strokes have been proposed as proxies to estimate the energy expended by marine vertebrates while foraging at sea, but this has never been validated on free-ranging otariids (fur seals and sea lions). Our goal was to investigate how well flipper strokes correlate with energy expenditure in 33 foraging northern and Antarctic fur seals equipped with accelerometers, GPS, and time-depth recorders. We concomitantly measured field metabolic rates with the doubly-labelled water method and derived activity-specific energy expenditures using fine-scale time-activity budgets for each seal. Flipper strokes were detected while diving or surface transiting using dynamic acceleration. Despite some inter-species differences in flipper stroke dynamics or frequencies, both species of fur seals spent 3.79 ± 0.39 J/kg per stroke and had a cost of transport of ~1.6–1.9 J/kg/m while diving. Also, flipper stroke counts were good predictors of energy spent while diving (R2 = 0.76) and to a lesser extent while transiting (R2 = 0.63). However, flipper stroke count was a poor predictor overall of total energy spent during a full foraging trip (R2 = 0.50). Amplitude of flipper strokes (i.e., acceleration amplitude × number of strokes) predicted total energy expenditure (R2 = 0.63) better than flipper stroke counts, but was not as accurate as other acceleration-based proxies, i.e. Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiphaine Jeanniard-du-Dot
- Department of Zoology and Marine Mammal Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, 2202 Main Mall, AERL, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada.,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Andrew W Trites
- Department of Zoology and Marine Mammal Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, 2202 Main Mall, AERL, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - John P Y Arnould
- Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (Burwood Campus), Geelong, Australia
| | - John R Speakman
- The Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zoology Bldg, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Christophe Guinet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
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92
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Weimerskirch H, Bishop C, Jeanniard-du-Dot T, Prudor A, Sachs G. Frigate birds track atmospheric conditions over months-long transoceanic flights. Science 2016; 353:74-8. [PMID: 27365448 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how animals respond to atmospheric conditions across space is critical for understanding the evolution of flight strategies and long-distance migrations. We studied the three-dimensional movements and energetics of great frigate birds (Fregata minor) and showed that they can stay aloft for months during transoceanic flights. To do this, birds track the edge of the doldrums to take advantage of favorable winds and strong convection. Locally, they use a roller-coaster flight, relying on thermals and wind to soar within a 50- to 600-meter altitude band under cumulus clouds and then glide over kilometers at low energy costs. To deal with the local scarcity of clouds and gain longer gliding distances, birds regularly soar inside cumulus clouds to use their strong updraft, and they can reach altitudes of 4000 meters, where freezing conditions occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France. UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Université de la Réunion, Saint Denis, La Réunion.
| | - Charles Bishop
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | | | - Aurélien Prudor
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France. UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Université de la Réunion, Saint Denis, La Réunion
| | - Gottfried Sachs
- Institute of Flight System Dynamics, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
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93
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Maina JN. Pivotal debates and controversies on the structure and function of the avian respiratory system: setting the record straight. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1475-1504. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John N. Maina
- Department of Zoology; University of Johannesburg; P.O. Box, 524, Auckland Park, Kingsway Johannesburg 2006 South Africa
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94
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Lague SL, Chua B, Farrell AP, Wang Y, Milsom WK. Altitude matters: differences in cardiovascular and respiratory responses to hypoxia in bar-headed geese reared at high and low altitudes. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:1974-84. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.132431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) fly at high altitudes during their migration across the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau. However, we know relatively little about whether rearing at high altitude (i.e. phenotypic plasticity) facilitates this impressive feat because most of what is known about their physiology comes from studies performed at sea level. To provide this information, a comprehensive analysis of metabolic, cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to progressive decreases in the equivalent fractional composition of inspired oxygen (FiO2: 0.21, 0.12, 0.09, 0.07 and 0.05) was made on bar-headed geese reared at either high altitude (3200 m) or low altitude (0 m) and on barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis), a low-altitude migrating species, reared at low altitude (0 m). Bar-headed geese reared at high altitude exhibited lower metabolic rates and a modestly increased hypoxic ventilatory response compared with low-altitude-reared bar-headed geese. Although the in vivo oxygen equilibrium curves and blood-oxygen carrying capacity did not differ between the two bar-headed goose study groups, the blood-oxygen carrying capacity was higher than that of barnacle geese. Resting cardiac output also did not differ between groups and increased at least twofold during progressive hypoxia, initially as a result of increases in stroke volume. However, cardiac output increased at a higher FiO2 threshold in bar-headed geese raised at high altitude. Thus, bar-headed geese reared at high altitude exhibited a reduced oxygen demand at rest and a modest but significant increase in oxygen uptake and delivery during progressive hypoxia compared with bar-headed geese reared at low altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine L. Lague
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Beverly Chua
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Anthony P. Farrell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Yuxiang Wang
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
| | - William K. Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
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95
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Helms JA, Godfrey AP, Ames T, Bridge ES. Predator foraging altitudes reveal the structure of aerial insect communities. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28670. [PMID: 27352817 PMCID: PMC4926167 DOI: 10.1038/srep28670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The atmosphere is populated by a diverse array of dispersing insects and their predators. We studied aerial insect communities by tracking the foraging altitudes of an avian insectivore, the Purple Martin (Progne subis). By attaching altitude loggers to nesting Purple Martins and collecting prey delivered to their nestlings, we determined the flight altitudes of ants and other insects. We then tested hypotheses relating ant body size and reproductive ecology to flight altitude. Purple Martins flew up to 1,889 meters above ground, and nestling provisioning trips ranged up to 922 meters. Insect communities were structured by body size such that species of all sizes flew near the ground but only light insects flew to the highest altitudes. Ant maximum flight altitudes decreased by 60% from the lightest to the heaviest species. Winged sexuals of social insects (ants, honey bees, and termites) dominated the Purple Martin diet, making up 88% of prey individuals and 45% of prey biomass. By transferring energy from terrestrial to aerial food webs, mating swarms of social insects play a substantial role in aerial ecosystems. Although we focus on Purple Martins and ants, our combined logger and diet method could be applied to a range of aerial organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson A Helms
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | | | - Tayna Ames
- Lorain County Community College, Elyria, OH, USA
| | - Eli S Bridge
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.,Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
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96
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Watanabe YY. Flight mode affects allometry of migration range in birds. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:907-14. [PMID: 27305867 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Billions of birds migrate to exploit seasonally available resources. The ranges of migration vary greatly among species, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. I hypothesise that flight mode (flapping or soaring) and body mass affect migration range through their influence on flight energetics. Here, I compiled the tracks of migratory birds (196 species, weighing 12-10 350 g) recorded by electronic tags in the last few decades. In flapping birds, migration ranges decreased with body mass, as predicted from rapidly increasing flight cost with increasing body mass. The species with higher aspect ratio and lower wing loading had larger migration ranges. In soaring birds, migration ranges were mass-independent and larger than those of flapping birds, reflecting their low flight costs irrespective of body mass. This study demonstrates that many animal-tracking studies are now available to explore the general patterns and the underlying mechanisms of animal migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3, Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan.,Department of Polar Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 10-3, Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan
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97
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Elliott KH. Measurement of flying and diving metabolic rate in wild animals: Review and recommendations. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 202:63-77. [PMID: 27264988 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Animals' abilities to fly long distances and dive to profound depths fascinate earthbound researchers. Due to the difficulty of making direct measurements during flying and diving, many researchers resort to modeling so as to estimate metabolic rate during each of those activities in the wild, but those models can be inaccurate. Fortunately, the miniaturization, customization and commercialization of biologgers has allowed researchers to increasingly follow animals on their journeys, unravel some of their mysteries and test the accuracy of biomechanical models. I provide a review of the measurement of flying and diving metabolic rate in the wild, paying particular attention to mass loss, doubly-labelled water, heart rate and accelerometry. Biologgers can impact animal behavior and influence the very measurements they are designed to make, and I provide seven guidelines for the ethical use of biologgers. If biologgers are properly applied, quantification of metabolic rate across a range of species could produce robust allometric relationships that could then be generally applied. As measuring flying and diving metabolic rate in captivity is difficult, and often not directly translatable to field conditions, I suggest that applying multiple techniques in the field to reinforce one another may be a viable alternative. The coupling of multi-sensor biologgers with biomechanical modeling promises to improve precision in the measurement of flying and diving metabolic rate in wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
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98
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Stothart MR, Elliott KH, Wood T, Hatch SA, Speakman JR. Counting calories in cormorants: dynamic body acceleration predicts daily energy expenditure measured in pelagic cormorants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:2192-200. [PMID: 27207639 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.130526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The integral of the dynamic component of acceleration over time has been proposed as a measure of energy expenditure in wild animals. We tested that idea by attaching accelerometers to the tails of free-ranging pelagic cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) and simultaneously estimating energy expenditure using doubly labelled water. Two different formulations of dynamic body acceleration, [vectorial and overall DBA (VeDBA and ODBA)], correlated with mass-specific energy expenditure (both R(2)=0.91). VeDBA models combining and separately parameterizing flying, diving, activity on land and surface swimming were consistently considered more parsimonious than time budget models and showed less variability in model fit. Additionally, we observed evidence for the presence of hypometabolic processes (i.e. reduced heart rate and body temperature; shunting of blood away from non-essential organs) that suppressed metabolism in cormorants while diving, which was the most metabolically important activity. We concluded that a combination of VeDBA and physiological processes accurately measured energy expenditure for cormorants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason R Stothart
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada N1G 2K8
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - Thomas Wood
- Department of Biology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2
| | - Scott A Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK 99516-9951, USA
| | - John R Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland AB24 2TZ, UK State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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99
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Hays GC, Ferreira LC, Sequeira AMM, Meekan MG, Duarte CM, Bailey H, Bailleul F, Bowen WD, Caley MJ, Costa DP, Eguíluz VM, Fossette S, Friedlaender AS, Gales N, Gleiss AC, Gunn J, Harcourt R, Hazen EL, Heithaus MR, Heupel M, Holland K, Horning M, Jonsen I, Kooyman GL, Lowe CG, Madsen PT, Marsh H, Phillips RA, Righton D, Ropert-Coudert Y, Sato K, Shaffer SA, Simpfendorfer CA, Sims DW, Skomal G, Takahashi A, Trathan PN, Wikelski M, Womble JN, Thums M. Key Questions in Marine Megafauna Movement Ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:463-475. [PMID: 26979550 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
It is a golden age for animal movement studies and so an opportune time to assess priorities for future work. We assembled 40 experts to identify key questions in this field, focussing on marine megafauna, which include a broad range of birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish. Research on these taxa has both underpinned many of the recent technical developments and led to fundamental discoveries in the field. We show that the questions have broad applicability to other taxa, including terrestrial animals, flying insects, and swimming invertebrates, and, as such, this exercise provides a useful roadmap for targeted deployments and data syntheses that should advance the field of movement ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme C Hays
- Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Warrnambool, VIC 3280, Australia.
| | - Luciana C Ferreira
- IOMRC and The UWA Oceans Institute, School of Animal Biology and Centre for Marine Futures, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, c/o The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Ana M M Sequeira
- IOMRC and The UWA Oceans Institute, School of Animal Biology and Centre for Marine Futures, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Mark G Meekan
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, c/o The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Helen Bailey
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - Fred Bailleul
- South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), 2 Hamra Avenue, West Beach, Adelaide, SA 5024, Australia
| | - W Don Bowen
- Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada
| | - M Julian Caley
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Victor M Eguíluz
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Sabrina Fossette
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, 2030 Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Nick Gales
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment, Australian Government, Kingston, TAS 7050, Australia
| | - Adrian C Gleiss
- Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - John Gunn
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Rob Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 99 Pacific St, Suite 255A, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
| | - Michael R Heithaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Michelle Heupel
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia; Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Kim Holland
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, PO Box 1346, Kaneohe, HI 98744, USA
| | - Markus Horning
- Science Department, Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, AK 99664, USA
| | - Ian Jonsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Gerald L Kooyman
- Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christopher G Lowe
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK 8000, Denmark; Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Helene Marsh
- College of Marine and Environmental Science, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - David Righton
- Fisheries and Ecosystems Division, Cefas Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR34 7RU, UK
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Station d'Écologie de Chizé-Université de La Rochelle, CNRS UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Katsufumi Sato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, 277-8564, Japan
| | - Scott A Shaffer
- Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192-0100, USA
| | - Colin A Simpfendorfer
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - David W Sims
- Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK; Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK; Centre for Biological Sciences, Building 85, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Gregory Skomal
- Massachusetts Shark Research Project, Division of Marine Fisheries, 1213 Purchase St, New Bedford, MA 02740, USA
| | - Akinori Takahashi
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Philip N Trathan
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Konstanz University, Department of Biology, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jamie N Womble
- National Park Service, Glacier Bay Field Station, 3100 National Park Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
| | - Michele Thums
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, c/o The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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100
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Flexible flight response to challenging wind conditions in a commuting Antarctic seabird: do you catch the drift? Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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