- Title
- Avian thermoregulation in the heat: is evaporative cooling more economical in nocturnal birds?
- Creator
- O'Connor, Ryan S, Smit, Ben, Talbot, William A, Gerson, Alexander R, Brigham, R Mark, Wolf, Blair O, McKechnie, Andrew E
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441518
- Identifier
- vital:73895
- Identifier
- https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/221/17/jeb181420/19595/Avian-thermoregulation-in-the-heat-is-evaporative
- Description
- Evaporative cooling is a prerequisite for avian occupancy of hot, arid environments, and is the only avenue of heat dissipation when air temperatures (Ta) exceed body temperature (Tb). Whereas diurnal birds can potentially rehydrate throughout the day, nocturnal species typically forgo drinking between sunrise and sunset. We hypothesized that nocturnal birds have evolved reduced rates of evaporative water loss (EWL) and more economical evaporative cooling mechanisms compared with diurnal species, permitting nocturnal species to tolerate extended periods of intense heat without becoming lethally dehydrated. We used phylogenetically informed regressions to compare EWL and evaporative cooling efficiency [ratio of evaporative heat loss (EHL) and metabolic heat production (MHP); EHL/MHP] among nocturnal and diurnal birds at high Ta. We analyzed variation in three response variables: (1) slope of EWL at Ta between 40 and 46°C, (2) EWL at Ta=46°C and (3) EHL/MHP at Ta=46°C. Nocturnality emerged as a weak, negative predictor, with nocturnal species having slightly shallower slopes and reduced EWL compared with diurnal species of similar mass.
- Format
- 7 pages, pdf
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Journal of Experimental Biology, O'Connor, R.S., Smit, B., Talbot, W.A., Gerson, A.R., Brigham, R.M., Wolf, B.O. and McKechnie, A.E., 2018. Avian thermoregulation in the heat: is evaporative cooling more economical in nocturnal birds?. Journal of Experimental Biology, 221(17), p.jeb181420, Journal of Experimental Biology volume 22 number 17 1 7 2018 1477-9145
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Journal of Experimental Biology Statement (https://journals.biologists.com/jeb)
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Smit, Ben (Dr)
SDG 13. Climate Action
SDG 15. Life On Land
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
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