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Le Pogam A, O'Connor RS, Love OP, Petit M, Régimbald L, Vézina F. Coping with the worst of both worlds: Phenotypic adjustments for cold acclimatization benefit northward migration and arrival in the cold in an Arctic‐breeding songbird. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Le Pogam
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Ryan S. O'Connor
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
| | - Magali Petit
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Lyette Régimbald
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
| | - François Vézina
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
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2
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Denommé M, Deakin JE, Morbey YE, Guglielmo CG. Using breath δ 13C analysis to determine the effects of dietary carbohydrate and protein on glucose and leucine oxidation at rest in the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 256:110936. [PMID: 33713811 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.110936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Fat is the major fuel for migratory flight of birds, but protein is also catabolized. Flight range could be reduced if protein is used too quickly from muscles and organs, and it is important to understand factors that influence protein catabolism. Previous correlative studies suggested high protein diets may increase protein use in flight, although a wind tunnel study with yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) did not support this relationship. We tested the hypothesis that diet composition affects nutrient oxidation in resting, fasted yellow-rumped warblers. For method development, we gavaged or subcutaneously injected warblers with 13C labelled glucose or leucine, and measured δ13C of breath CO2 in real time using infrared laser spectrometry. Regardless of route of administration, leucine had greater instantaneous and cumulative oxidation than glucose. Compared to subcutaneous injection, gavaged birds reached maximum oxidation rate faster for leucine and glucose, respectively, had a higher maximum oxidation rate, and reached final cumulative oxidation approximately faster for leucine or glucose, respectively, indicating immediate oxidation of the substrates by the digestive system. Warblers (N = 10 each) were fed isocaloric 60% carbohydrate or 60% protein diets for minimum 2 weeks, and subcutaneously injected with 13C labelled glucose or leucine. Diet composition had little effect on oxidation kinetics except that warblers fed high-carbohydrate reached final cumulative oxidation of leucine more quickly than those fed high-protein. The findings do not support the hypothesis that high protein diets increase the oxidation of protein during negative energy states in migratory birds, and provide methodology that could be applied to test it in flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Denommé
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5B7, Canada.
| | - Jessica E Deakin
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5B7, Canada
| | - Yolanda E Morbey
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5B7, Canada
| | - Christopher G Guglielmo
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5B7, Canada
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3
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Majumdar G, Yadav G, Malik S, Rani S, Balthazart J, Kumar V. Hypothalamic plasticity in response to changes in photoperiod and food quality: An adaptation to support pre-migratory fattening in songbirds? Eur J Neurosci 2020; 53:430-448. [PMID: 33010037 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In latitudinal avian migrants, increasing photoperiods induce fat deposition and body mass increase, and subsequent night-time migratory restlessness in captive birds, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that an enhanced hypothalamic neuronal plasticity was associated with the photostimulated spring migration phenotype. We tested this idea in adult migratory red-headed buntings (Emberiza bruniceps), as compared with resident Indian weaverbirds (Ploceus philippinus). Birds were exposed to a stimulatory long photoperiod (14L:10D, LP), while controls were kept on a short photoperiod (10L:14D, SP). Under both photoperiods, one half of birds also received a high calorie, protein- and fat-rich diet (SP-R, LP-R) while the other half stayed on the normal diet (SP-N, LP-N). Thirty days later, as expected, the LP had induced multiple changes in the behaviour and physiology in migratory buntings. Photostimulated buntings also developed a preference for the rich food diet. Most interestingly, the LP and the rich diet, both separately and in association, increased neurogenesis in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH), as measured by an increased number of cells immunoreactive for doublecortin (DCX), a marker of recently born neurons, in buntings, but not weaverbirds. This neurogenesis was associated with an increased density of fibres immunoreactive for the orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY). This hypothalamic plasticity observed in a migratory, but not in a non-migratory, species in response to photoperiod and food quality might represent an adaptation to the pre-migratory fattening, as required to support the extensive energy expenses that incur during the migratory flight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Garima Yadav
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India
| | - Shalie Malik
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India
| | - Sangeeta Rani
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India
| | | | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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4
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Eikenaar C, Hessler S, Fischer S, Bairlein F. An exception to the rule: Captivity does not stress wild migrating northern wheatears. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 275:25-29. [PMID: 30753841 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Wild animals typically suffer from stress when brought into captivity. This stress is characterized by elevated circulating glucocorticoid levels and weight loss. We here describe for the first time a case where a wild animal, the long-distance migrating northern wheatear, does not show signs of stress when caged. We captured these birds on a stopover site during their spring migration and caged them individually with ad libitum access to food and water. The birds were divided into four groups and were blood-sampled immediately in the field, a few hours after caging, one day after caging, or three days after caging, respectively. From these blood-samples we determined circulating corticosterone level. Food intake and body mass were also monitored. We found that, with very few exceptions, corticosterone levels were low and did not differ among the groups. Accordingly, almost all birds consumed huge quantities of food and substantially increased their body mass. Together these results clearly show that caging does not result in indications of stress in wild migrating northern wheatears. Confinement-specific conditions such as restricted movement normally stress animals. We suggest migratory birds may not perceive such conditions as stressors due to their hyperphagic state, a notion that requires further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cas Eikenaar
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
| | - Sven Hessler
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Sandra Fischer
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Franz Bairlein
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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5
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Zúñiga D, Falconer J, Fudickar AM, Jensen W, Schmidt A, Wikelski M, Partecke J. Abrupt switch to migratory night flight in a wild migratory songbird. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34207. [PMID: 27666200 PMCID: PMC5035921 DOI: 10.1038/srep34207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Every year, billions of wild diurnal songbirds migrate at night. To do so, they shift their daily rhythm from diurnality to nocturnality. In captivity this is observed as a gradual transition of daytime activity developing into nocturnal activity, but how wild birds prepare their daily rhythms for migration remains largely unknown. Using an automated radio-telemetry system, we compared activity patterns of free-living migrant and resident European blackbirds (Turdus merula) in a partially migratory population during the pre-migratory season. We found that activity patterns between migrant and resident birds did not differ during day and night. Migrants did not change their daily rhythm in a progressive manner as has been observed in captivity, but instead abruptly became active during the night of departure. The rapid shift in rhythmicity might be more common across migratory songbird species, but may not have been observed before in wild animals due to a lack of technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Zúñiga
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jade Falconer
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary &Life Sciences, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK
| | - Adam M Fudickar
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Willi Jensen
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Andreas Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
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6
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Corman AM, Bairlein F, Schmaljohann H. The nature of the migration route shapes physiological traits and aerodynamic properties in a migratory songbird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1653-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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7
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Factors influencing the movement biology of migrant songbirds confronted with an ecological barrier. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1614-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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8
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Gogga P, Karbowska J, Kochan Z, Meissner W. Circulating leptin levels do not reflect the amount of body fat in the dunlin Calidris alpina during migration. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 187:74-8. [PMID: 23583518 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Revised: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Leptin is a peptide hormone that plays an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Studies in mammals have shown that circulating leptin levels reflect adiposity and that this adipocyte-derived cytokine acts as an afferent satiety signal to the brain, decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. Since leptin has been found in the liver and adipose tissue of migratory birds that are able to accumulate fat reserves as endogenous fuel for flight, we hypothesized that individuals with higher fat score would have higher plasma leptin levels, as it had been found previously in mammals. The aim of this study was to determine if circulating leptin levels correlate with the amount of body fat in a migratory bird, the dunlin Calidris alpina. Adult dunlins were caught during autumn migration on the Baltic coast, and their fat score was determined. Blood samples from 150 birds were used to assess the levels of circulating leptin. We did not find any statistical differences between dunlins with various fat scores. In fact, plasma leptin levels tended to be lower in fat birds than in lean individuals. Our data indicate that in wild birds in migration mode leptin does not reflect the amount of accumulated fat. It suggests that leptin in birds during migration is neither involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis nor acts as a signal to control the amount of body fat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Gogga
- Avian Ecophysiology Unit, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
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9
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Hypothermic abilities of migratory songbirds at a stopover site. RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-010-0094-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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10
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Jenni-Eiermann S, Hasselquist D, Lindström A, Koolhaas A, Piersma T. Are birds stressed during long-term flights? A wind-tunnel study on circulating corticosterone in the red knot. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2009; 164:101-6. [PMID: 19481083 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2008] [Revised: 02/16/2009] [Accepted: 05/19/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
During endurance flight most birds do not feed and have to rely on their body reserves. Fat and protein is catabolised to meet the high energetic demands. Even though the hormonal regulation of migration is complex and not yet fully understood, the adrenocortical hormone corticosterone crystallizes to play a major role in controlling physiological traits in migratory birds during flight. However, results from field studies are partially equivocal, not least because data from birds during endurance flight are hard to get and present mostly a momentary shot. A wind-tunnel experiment offered the possibility to measure repeatedly under controlled conditions the effect of long flights on the stress hormone corticosterone. In a long-distance migrating shorebird, the red knot Calidris canutus, we measured plasma concentrations of corticosterone within 3 min and after a restraint time of 30 min directly after 2h and 10h non-stop flights, respectively, and during rest. Baseline corticosterone levels were unchanged directly after the flights, indicating that endurance flight did not affect corticosterone levels. The adrenocortical response to restraint showed the typical rise in birds during rest, while birds after a 2 or 10h flight substantially decreased plasma corticosterone concentrations. We suggest that the negative adrenocortical response to restraint after flight is part of the mechanism to reduce the proteolytic effect of corticosterone to save muscle protein and to avoid muscle damaging effects.
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11
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Henshaw I, Fransson T, Jakobsson S, Jenni-Eiermann S, Kullberg C. Information from the geomagnetic field triggers a reduced adrenocortical response in a migratory bird. J Exp Biol 2009; 212:2902-7. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.033332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Long-distance migrants regularly pass ecological barriers, like the Sahara desert, where extensive fuel loads are necessary for a successful crossing. A central question is how inexperienced migrants know when to put on extensive fuel loads. Beside the endogenous rhythm, external cues have been suggested to be important. Geomagnetic information has been shown to trigger changes in foraging behaviour and fuel deposition rate in migratory birds. The underlying mechanism for these adjustments, however, is not well understood. As the glucocorticoid hormone corticosterone is known to correlate with behaviour and physiology related to energy regulation in birds, we here investigated the effect of geomagnetic cues on circulating corticosterone levels in a long-distance migrant. Just as in earlier studies, juvenile thrush nightingales (Luscinia luscinia) caught during autumn migration and exposed to the simulated geomagnetic field of northern Egypt increased food intake and attained higher fuel loads than control birds experiencing the ambient magnetic field of southeast Sweden. Our results further show that experimental birds faced a reduced adrenocortical response compared with control birds, thus for the first time implying that geomagnetic cues trigger changes in hormonal secretion enabling appropriate behaviour along the migratory route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Henshaw
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thord Fransson
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Bird Ringing Centre, Box 50 007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven Jakobsson
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Cecilia Kullberg
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Sailer MM, Fietz J. Seasonal differences in the feeding ecology and behavior of male edible dormice (Glis glis). Mamm Biol 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2008.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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13
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Henshaw I, Fransson T, Jakobsson S, Lind J, Vallin A, Kullberg C. Food intake and fuel deposition in a migratory bird is affected by multiple as well as single-step changes in the magnetic field. J Exp Biol 2008; 211:649-53. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.014183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Recent studies have shown that migratory thrush nightingales (Luscinia luscinia) experimentally treated with multiple changes of the magnetic field simulating a journey to their target stopover area in northern Egypt,increased fuel deposition as expected in preparation to cross the Sahara desert. To investigate the significance of food intake on the body mass changes observed, in the work described here we analysed food intake of the nightingales under study in those earlier experiments. Furthermore, to study whether a single change in the magnetic field directly to northern Egypt is sufficient to provide information for fuelling decisions, we performed a new experiment, exposing thrush nightingales trapped in Sweden, directly to a magnetic field of northern Egypt. Our results show that an experimentally induced magnetic field of northern Egypt, close to the barrier crossing,triggers the same response in fuel deposition as experiments with multiple changes of the magnetic field simulating a migratory journey from Sweden to Egypt, suggesting that migratory birds do not require successive changes in field parameters to incorporate magnetic information into their migratory program. Furthermore, irrespective of experimental set up (single or multiple changes of the magnetic field parameters) increase in food intake seems to be the major reason for the observed increase in fuelling rate compared with control birds, suggesting that geomagnetic information might trigger hormonal changes in migratory birds enabling appropriate fuelling behaviour during migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Henshaw
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thord Fransson
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Bird Ringing Centre, Box 50 007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven Jakobsson
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Lind
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Adrian Vallin
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Kullberg
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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14
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Schaub M, Jenni L, Bairlein F. Fuel stores, fuel accumulation, and the decision to depart from a migration stopover site. Behav Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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15
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Kullberg C, Henshaw I, Jakobsson S, Johansson P, Fransson T. Fuelling decisions in migratory birds: geomagnetic cues override the seasonal effect. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:2145-51. [PMID: 17609189 PMCID: PMC2706198 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evaluations of both temporal and spatial precision in bird migration have called for external cues in addition to the inherited programme defining the migratory journey in terms of direction, distance and fuelling behaviour along the route. We used juvenile European robins (Erithacus rubecula) to study whether geomagnetic cues affect fuel deposition in a medium-distance migrant by simulating a migratory journey from southeast Sweden to the wintering area in southern Spain. In the late phase of the onset of autumn migration, robins exposed to the magnetic treatment attained a lower fuel load than control birds exposed to the ambient magnetic field of southeast Sweden. In contrast, robins captured in the early phase of the onset of autumn migration all showed low fuel deposition irrespective of experimental treatment. These results are, as expected, the inverse of what we have found in similar studies in a long-distance migrant, the thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), indicating that the reaction in terms of fuelling behaviour to a simulated southward migration varies depending on the relevance for the species. Furthermore, we suggest that information from the geomagnetic field act as an important external cue overriding the seasonal effect on fuelling behaviour in migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Kullberg
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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16
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Costantini D, Cardinale M, Carere C. Oxidative damage and anti-oxidant capacity in two migratory bird species at a stop-over site. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2007; 144:363-71. [PMID: 17218158 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2006.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2006] [Revised: 11/10/2006] [Accepted: 11/10/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We quantified in the garden warbler (Sylvia borin) and the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), two long-distance migratory songbirds, the early oxidative damage (ROMs) and plasma anti-oxidant capacity (OXY) variation of individuals caught at a stop-over site after a sustained flight across the sea, during spring migration. Our main goal was to quantify the oxidative damage and anti-oxidant capacity variation in these two migratory species in relation to fat and muscle stores. The birds were sampled in Ponza, a small island along the migratory route of these species. The levels of ROMs and OXY did not show any differences between the two species and in general were higher in individuals with higher fat and protein stores. Nevertheless, the balance between ROMs and OXY was better in individuals in good condition. These patterns were similar in both species. No sex differences emerged for both ROMs and OXY in the barn swallow, the only species that could be sexed. Both markers of oxidative stress did not show any significant variation across a 30-min restrained experiment. These data are the first of this kind in wild birds in a migratory context and suggest that individuals in better condition are exposed to lower oxidative stress, providing an indirect evidence of the oxidative cost caused by prolonged flights.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Costantini
- Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Università La Sapienza, Viale dell'Università 32, 00185 Roma, Italy.
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17
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Mettke-Hofmann C, Gwinner E. Differential assessment of environmental information in a migratory and a nonmigratory passerine. Anim Behav 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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18
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Zharikov Y, Skilleter GA. Nonbreeding eastern curlews Numenius madagascariensis do not increase the rate of intake or digestive efficiency before long-distance migration because of an apparent digestive constraint. Physiol Biochem Zool 2004; 76:704-15. [PMID: 14671718 DOI: 10.1086/376427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2003] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The possibility of premigratory modulation in gastric digestive performance was investigated in a long-distance migrant, the eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis), in eastern Australia. The rate of intake in the curlews was limited by the rate of digestion but not by food availability. It was hypothesized that before migration, eastern curlews would meet the increased energy demand by increasing energy consumption. It was predicted that (1) an increase in the rate of intake and the corresponding rate of gastric throughput would occur or (2) the gastric digestive efficiency would increase between the mid-nonbreeding and premigratory periods. Neither crude intake rate (the rate of intake calculated including inactive pauses; 0.22 g DM [grams dry mass] or 3.09 kJ min(-1)) nor the rate of gastric throughput (0.15 g DM or 2.85 kJ min(-1)) changed over time. Gastric digestive efficiency did not improve between the periods (91%) nor did the estimated overall energy assimilation efficiency (63% and 58%, respectively). It was concluded that the crustacean-dominated diet of the birds is processed at its highest rate and efficiency throughout a season. It appears that without a qualitative shift in diet, no increase in intake rate is possible. Accepting these findings at their face value poses the question of how and over what time period the eastern curlews store the nutrients necessary for the ensuing long, northward nonstop flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Zharikov
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
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19
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Guglielmo CG, Williams TD. Phenotypic flexibility of body composition in relation to migratory state, age, and sex in the western sandpiper (Calidris mauri). Physiol Biochem Zool 2003; 76:84-98. [PMID: 12695989 DOI: 10.1086/367942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2002] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the flexibility of body composition in relation to seasonally variable demands for endurance flight capacity and hyperphagia in a migratory shorebird. Migrating western sandpipers were sampled in spring and fall while refueling at a north temperate stopover and were compared with nonmigrating birds captured at a tropical wintering area in Panama. Sandpipers weighed 25% more at stopover, and nearly 40% of migratory mass increase consisted of lean body components. Most organs and flight muscles were 10%-100% larger during migration, and the greatest relative size increases occurred in the digestive system (including liver). Birds preparing to initiate spring migration from Panama deposited only fat, suggesting that changes in lean body components take place after migration has begun, possibly through training effects. Sex did not influence body composition. Juveniles making their first southward migration were similar to adults in structural size and body mass but had substantially enlarged alimentary tracts. Sandpipers appeared to deposit lean mass during stopover in fall but not in spring. The dramatic enlargement of the digestive system in this small species that makes short flights and fuels frequently contrasts with the reduction of digestive components in larger species that fuel only once or twice by making one or two very long flights to their destination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Guglielmo
- Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
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Roxburgh L, Pinshow B. Digestion of nectar and insects by Palestine sunbirds. Physiol Biochem Zool 2002; 75:583-9. [PMID: 12601614 DOI: 10.1086/344494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2002] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In nectarivorous birds, specialization for feeding on nectar has led to a simple gut structure with high sugar digestive efficiencies and rapid gut passage rates. These features of the digestive system may make digestion of more complex, protein-rich food sources, such as pollen or insects, less efficient. In this light, we hypothesized that sugar metabolizability in nectarivorous Palestine sunbirds (Nectarinia osea) would be high, whereas nitrogen metabolizability would be lower than typically found for birds. We measured glucose and fructose apparent metabolizabilities (*MCs) and transit times (TTs) in eight Palestine sunbirds offered either a 10% or a 50% mixed sugar diet. *MC for glucose (99.9%+/-0.1%) was significantly greater than for fructose (99.6%+/-0.4%; ANOVA; P<0.001). TT for the 10% sugar diet (26.3+/-10.1 min) was significantly shorter than for the 50% sugar diet (47.0+/-7.8 min). We measured nitrogen true metabolizability (MC) and TT in Palestine sunbirds offered a daily fruit fly intake of either 40 or 200 flies. Nitrogen MC was not significantly different between diets, and average MC for both diets was 58.5%+/-8.5% (n=8). TT was not significantly different when birds ate 10 flies (50.1+/-13.6 min) than when they ate 50 flies (48.5+/-16.5 min). The high sugar *MC and relatively rapid TT of nectar in Palestine sunbirds are similar to those found for other nectarivorous species. Transit times of insect material are longer that those found in small insectivorous species. However, MCs of insect material are lower. Thus, even though sunbirds consume easily digestible soft-bodied insects, they are less efficient at extracting protein than nonnectarivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizanne Roxburgh
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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LindstrÖM Å, Klaassen M, Kvist A. Variation in energy intake and basal metabolic rate of a bird migrating in a wind tunnel. Funct Ecol 2002. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.1999.00320.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Å. LindstrÖM
- Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, Ecology Building, S‐223 62 Lund, Sweden, and,
| | - M. Klaassen
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, D‐82346 Andechs, Germany, and Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Center for Limnology, Rijksstraatweg 6, NL‐3631 AC Nieuwersluis, the Netherlands
| | - A. Kvist
- Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, Ecology Building, S‐223 62 Lund, Sweden, and,
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McWilliams SR, Karasov WH. Phenotypic flexibility in digestive system structure and function in migratory birds and its ecological significance. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2001; 128:579-93. [PMID: 11246046 DOI: 10.1016/s1095-6433(00)00336-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Birds during migration must satisfy the high energy and nutrient demands associated with repeated, intensive flight while often experiencing unpredictable variation in food supply and food quality. Solutions to such different challenges may often be physiologically incompatible. For example, increased food intake and gut size are primarily responsible for satisfying the high energy and nutrient demands associated with migration in birds. However, short-term fasting or food restriction during flight may cause partial atrophy of the gut that may limit utilization of ingested food energy and nutrients. We review the evidence available on the effects of long- and short-term changes in food quality and quantity on digestive performance in migratory birds, and the importance of digestive constraints in limiting the tempo of migration in birds. Another important physiological consequence of feeding in birds is the effect of diet on body composition dynamics during migration. Recent evidence suggests that birds utilize and replenish both protein and fat reserves during migration, and diet quality influences the rate of replenishment of both these reserves. We conclude that diet and phenotypic flexibility in both body composition and the digestive system of migratory birds are important in allowing birds to successfully overcome the often-conflicting physiological challenges of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R McWilliams
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
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Karasov WH, Pinshow B. Test for physiological limitation to nutrient assimilation in a long-distance passerine migrant at a Springtime stopover site. Physiol Biochem Zool 2000; 73:335-43. [PMID: 10893173 DOI: 10.1086/316746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2000] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
During northward migration, blackcaps arrive at stopover sites in Israel's Negev Desert with reduced masses of organs that are important in food digestion and assimilation. Blackcaps that stay to refuel (largely on fruits) do not gain mass rapidly until after 3 d at the stopover site. We hypothesized that (1) it may take several days to rebuild these reduced organs, (2) during this recovery interval high feeding rates might not be possible, and (3) this could be the basis for the absence of immediate body mass gain in blackcaps at stopover sites. To test predictions from this hypothesis we used an established fasting protocol to create a group of blackcaps with reduced intestinal and liver mass compared with ad lib. fed controls. Migrants were captured and caged in the laboratory, where they were habituated to a fruit mash diet for 8 d. One experimental group was then fasted 2 d, one was fed at a restricted level (one-third ad lib. food intake) for 4 d, and one was held as ad lib.-fed controls. The fasted and restricted birds were then allowed to feed again ad lib. Birds that were experimentally fasted progressively increased their daily assimilation rate and achieved the highest rate (one-third higher than controls) 3 d after the end of their fast. Birds that were restricted achieved high rates immediately once ad lib. food was provided. Increased assimilation rate was achieved via hyperphagia and not increased assimilation efficiency. The response of the fasted birds supports the hypothesis that there may be physiological constraints to the rate of refueling during migratory stopover.
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Affiliation(s)
- W H Karasov
- Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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Latta SC, Brown C. Autumn stopover ecology of the Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata) in thorn scrub forest of the Dominican Republic. CAN J ZOOL 1999. [DOI: 10.1139/z99-061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We used mist-netting, color-banding, resighting, and behavioral observations to study the autumn stopover ecology of migrating Blackpoll Warblers (Dendroica striata) in coastal thorn scrub forest in the area of Cabo Rojo, Pedernales Province, Dominican Republic. Blackpoll Warblers were the most abundant migrant present in this habitat throughout most of October 1997. Warblers stopping over in this habitat were generally young with moderate to large fat stores. No lean birds (fat score = 0) were captured. Our behavioral observations suggest that Blackpoll Warblers are flexible in terms of social organization, with birds associating in single-species flocks and in mixed-species aggregations, but single birds were also recorded. Foraging activity consisted primarily of gleaning from leaves and was focused on lepidopteran larvae, whose high abundance coincided with Blackpoll Warbler arrival. We suggest that most stopover Blackpoll Warblers were not weakened individuals searching for emergency energy stores but were forced down owing to unfavorable weather conditions for migration; others may have been taking advantage of landfall on the south coast of Hispaniola for daytime rest before continuing across the Caribbean Sea to South America. Coastal thorn scrub forest of Hispaniola appears to be a preferred stopover habitat for a variety of migrants, providing a place to rest and replenish energy reserves following transoceanic flight.
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Totzke U, Bairlein F. The body mass cycle of the migratory garden warbler (Sylvia borin) is associated with changes of basal plasma metabolite levels. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s1095-6433(98)10113-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Digestive tract function in the long-distance migratory garden warbler, Sylvia borin. J Comp Physiol B 1996. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02336922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Starck JM. Phenotypic plasticity, cellular dynamics, and epithelial turnover of the intestine of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). J Zool (1987) 1996. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1996.tb05379.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Scott I, Mitchell PI, Evans PR. Seasonal changes in body mass, body composition and food requirements in wild migratory birds. Proc Nutr Soc 1994; 53:521-31. [PMID: 7886052 DOI: 10.1079/pns19940062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- I Scott
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Durham
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Klaassen M, Biebach H. Energetics of fattening and starvation in the long-distance migratory garden warbler, Sylvia borin, during the migratory phase. J Comp Physiol B 1994. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00302551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Simons D, Bairlein F. Neue Aspekte zur zugzeitlichen Frugivorie der Gartengrasmücke (Sylvia borin). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1990. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01639815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Cuadrado M, Rodriguez M, Arjona S. Fat and weight variations of blackcaps wintering in Southern Spain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1989. [DOI: 10.1080/03078698.1989.9673945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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The seasonal development of photoperiodic responsiveness in an equatorial migrant, the garden warblerSylvia borin. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 1988. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00606125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Effects of food-deprivation on migratory restlessness and diurnal activity in the garden warbler Sylvia borin. Oecologia 1988; 77:321-326. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00378037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/1988] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Moore F, Kerlinger P. Stopover and fat deposition by North American wood-warblers (Parulinae) following spring migration over the Gulf of Mexico. Oecologia 1987; 74:47-54. [PMID: 28310413 DOI: 10.1007/bf00377344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/1987] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Length of stopover and rate of weight gain (fat deposition) were studied in several species of passerine birds that stopped in southwestern Louisiana along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico after a trans-Gulf flight. Fatdepleted birds were more common among the birds that arrived at our study site in southwest Louisiana, though variability characterized our samples. Migrants that landed after encountering opposing winds or rain over the northern Gulf of Mexico were, on average, fatter than migrants that landed when weather was favorable for continued migration. Some of the variation in the energetic condition of arrivals may be explained by the location where migrants initiated crossings. Our simulation of flight over the Gulf of Mexico showed that with following winds a warbler can cross the Gulf of Mexico from Yucatan with fat reserves to spare, and stronger tailwinds make flights from as far south as Honduras energetically permissible. The length of stay after a trans-Gulf flight was related to the extent of fat-depletion upon arrival: lean birds stayed longer than fat migrants. Migrants stopped over for 1-7 days and replenished energy reserves at rates that varied from 0.19 g/d for Hooded Warblers (Wilsonia citrina) to 0.87 g/d for Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus). Within each species, most individuals gained weight at a rapid rate, though a few individuals lost or maintained weight during their stay.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, 39406-5018, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
| | - P Kerlinger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, 39406-5018, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
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Bairlein F. The migratory strategy of the Garden Warbler: A survey of field and laboratory data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1987. [DOI: 10.1080/03078698.1987.9673903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Bairlein F. Nutritional requirements for maintenance of body weight and fat deposition in the long-distance migratory garden warbler, Sylvia borin (Boddaert). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. A, COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 1987; 86:337-47. [PMID: 2881675 DOI: 10.1016/0300-9629(87)90340-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Intake of food, protein, fat and carbohydrates and their fecal output and the birds' weights were recorded during different feeding trials with specific nutrient reduced diets in the old-world long-distance migratory garden warbler. The birds' body weights were affected by low dietary protein as well as low dietary fat levels. Low dietary protein and fat levels were associated with significant changes in daily gross and net food intake and in the efficiency of food and nutrient utilization. Birds fed on diets with low nutrient levels for an extended length of time recovered in weight after an initial weight loss. They obviously compensated the restricted nutrient levels primarily by increasing the daily food intake and by changing the efficiency of food and nutrient utilization. Effects of restricted dietary nutrient levels on body weight and adaptation depended on the previous composition of the food. The average daily net fat intake was much higher than the average daily net protein intake, both for maintenance of a constant body weight and for successful regain of weight. The data were further discussed with respect to the role of a fruit diet in omnivorous passerine birds.
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Spontaneous, approximately semimonthly rhythmic variations of body weight in the migratory garden warbler (Sylvia borin boddaert). J Comp Physiol B 1986. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00694262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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