Reduced metabolic cost of locomotion in Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) during winter.
Reduced metabolic cost of locomotion in Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) during winter.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0015490
复制
发表时间：
2010-11-15
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Codd J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lees J;Nudds R;Stokkan KA;Folkow L;Codd J
斯瓦尔巴特群岛岩雷鸟，Lagopus穆塔hyperborea经历了极端的光照周期和气候条件的北极斯瓦尔巴特群岛。然而，这个物种非常适应这种恶劣的环境。在这些鸟类中发现的最引人注目的适应之一是在冬季开始之前，脂肪储存的沉积，其可能占体重的32%，主要位于胸骨和腹部区域周围。这种脂肪虽然对鸟类的生存至关重要，但也带来了挑战，因为鸟类必须在这种额外的质量下保持正常的生理功能。特别是这些商店可能会限制呼吸系统，因为胸骨和骨盆区域必须在通风期间移动，并且携带这种额外的负荷也可能影响运动的能量消耗。在这里，我们表明，冬季鸟类有一个降低成本的运动相比，夏季鸟类。这是一个了不起的发现，因为在冬季，这些鸟的体重几乎是夏季的两倍。这些结果表明，斯瓦尔巴特松鸡能够携带额外的冬季脂肪，而不会产生任何能量消耗。由于能源保护对这些鸟类至关重要，在资源有限的情况下尽量减少迁移成本似乎是它们在贫瘠的北极环境中生存的关键适应。
The Svalbard rock ptarmigan, Lagopus muta hyperborea experiences extreme photoperiodic and climatic conditions on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This species, however, is highly adapted to live in this harsh environment. One of the most striking adaptations found in these birds is the deposition, prior to onset of winter, of fat stores which may comprise up to 32% of body mass and are located primarily around the sternum and abdominal region. This fat, while crucial to the birds' survival, also presents a challenge in that the bird must maintain normal physiological function with this additional mass. In particular these stores are likely to constrain the respiratory system, as the sternum and pelvic region must be moved during ventilation and carrying this extra load may also impact upon the energetic cost of locomotion. Here we demonstrate that winter birds have a reduced cost of locomotion when compared to summer birds. A remarkable finding given that during winter these birds have almost twice the body mass of those in summer. These results suggest that Svalbard ptarmigan are able to carry the additional winter fat without incurring any energetic cost. As energy conservation is paramount to these birds, minimising the costs of moving around when resources are limited would appear to be a key adaptation crucial for their survival in the barren Arctic environment.