Affiliation:
1. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Abstract
Six tufted ducks were trained to dive for food at summer temperatures (air, 26°C, water, 23°C) and at winter temperatures (air, 5.8°C, water 7.4°C). The mean resting oxygen consumption (Voo2) a t winter temperatures (rwin) was 90% higher than that at summer temperatures (Tsum), but deep body temperatures (Tb) were not significantly different.
Diving behaviour and mean oxygen consumption for dives of mean duration were similar at Twin and at Tsum, although the mean oxygen consumption for surface intervals of mean duration was 50% greater at Twin and Tb was significantly lower (1°C) at the end of a series of dives in winter than it was in summer.
There appears to be an energy saving of 67 J per dive during winter conditions and this may, at least partially, be the result of the metabolic heat produced by the active muscles being used to maintain body temperature. While at rest under winter conditions, this would be achieved by shivering thermogenesis. Thus, the energetic costs of foraging in tufted ducks in winter are not as great as might be expected from the almost doubling of metabolic rate in resting birds.
Publisher
The Company of Biologists
Subject
Insect Science,Molecular Biology,Animal Science and Zoology,Aquatic Science,Physiology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
41 articles.
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