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Small sea birds hold heat rather than cranking up the furnace

Date:
May 5, 2011
Source:
University of Chicago Press Journals
Summary:
A new study offers some clues about how small aquatic birds survive in extremely cold climates.
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A new study offers some clues about how small aquatic birds survive in extremely cold climates.

Staying warm is hard work for aquatic birds. Heat loss is around twenty times greater in water than in air, so aquatic birds have to increase their resting metabolism to generate heat on the water. Heat loss is an even greater issue for small birds, so it was assumed that small birds would have to increase their metabolism in water even more than large birds do.

But according to a study by researchers at the University of Wyoming, that's not always the case. The researchers studied the metabolism of Cassin's auklets, a small sea bird found throughout the Northern Pacific Ocean. They found that auklets do increase their metabolism on the water, but not as much proportionately as some larger birds do.

In fact, ducks, auks, cormorants, and small penguins responded quite differently to air and water temperatures, perhaps reflecting very different demands during evolutionary history.

The research is published in the May/June 2011 issue of the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Samantha E. Richman, James R. Lovvorn. Effects of Air and Water Temperatures on Resting Metabolism of Auklets and Other Diving Birds. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 2011; 84 (3): 316 DOI: 10.1086/660008

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University of Chicago Press Journals. "Small sea birds hold heat rather than cranking up the furnace." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502163420.htm>.
University of Chicago Press Journals. (2011, May 5). Small sea birds hold heat rather than cranking up the furnace. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502163420.htm
University of Chicago Press Journals. "Small sea birds hold heat rather than cranking up the furnace." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502163420.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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