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Mass or pace? Seasonal energy management in wintering boreal passerines

Broggi, Juli LU ; Nilsson, Johan F. LU ; Koivula, Kari ; Hohtola, Esa and Nilsson, Jan Åke LU (2019) In Oecologia 189(2). p.339-351
Abstract

Research on winter energy management in small vertebrates has focused on the regulation of body mass (BM) within a framework of starvation-predation trade-off. Winter-acclimatized birds exhibit a seasonal increase in both BM and basal metabolic rate (BMR), although the patterns of co-variation between the two traits remain unknown. We studied this co-variation in three different species of wild titmice, great, blue and willow tits, originating from two boreal regions at different latitudes. Seasonal change in BM and BMR was inter-dependent, particularly in the great tit; however, by contrast, no seasonal change was observed in the willow tit. BMR changed non-linearly in concert with BM with a peak in midwinter for both blue and great... (More)

Research on winter energy management in small vertebrates has focused on the regulation of body mass (BM) within a framework of starvation-predation trade-off. Winter-acclimatized birds exhibit a seasonal increase in both BM and basal metabolic rate (BMR), although the patterns of co-variation between the two traits remain unknown. We studied this co-variation in three different species of wild titmice, great, blue and willow tits, originating from two boreal regions at different latitudes. Seasonal change in BM and BMR was inter-dependent, particularly in the great tit; however, by contrast, no seasonal change was observed in the willow tit. BMR changed non-linearly in concert with BM with a peak in midwinter for both blue and great tits, whereas such non-linear pattern in willow tit was opposite and independent of BM. Surprisingly, BMR appears to be more sensitive to ambient temperatures than BM in all three species studied. Energy management is a multifaceted strategy that cannot be fully understood without considering reserve levels and energy expenditure simultaneously. Thus, our study indicates that the prevailing conceptual framework based on variation in BM alone is insufficient to understand seasonal energy management in small wintering passerines.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Basal metabolic rate, Optimal body mass theory, Parus, Phenotypic integration, Winter ecology
in
Oecologia
volume
189
issue
2
pages
339 - 351
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85059674671
  • pmid:30617630
ISSN
0029-8549
DOI
10.1007/s00442-018-04332-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
57692cf7-e063-4a50-a5f1-9acf5bf0003a
date added to LUP
2019-01-22 14:19:09
date last changed
2024-02-14 15:31:14
@article{57692cf7-e063-4a50-a5f1-9acf5bf0003a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Research on winter energy management in small vertebrates has focused on the regulation of body mass (BM) within a framework of starvation-predation trade-off. Winter-acclimatized birds exhibit a seasonal increase in both BM and basal metabolic rate (BMR), although the patterns of co-variation between the two traits remain unknown. We studied this co-variation in three different species of wild titmice, great, blue and willow tits, originating from two boreal regions at different latitudes. Seasonal change in BM and BMR was inter-dependent, particularly in the great tit; however, by contrast, no seasonal change was observed in the willow tit. BMR changed non-linearly in concert with BM with a peak in midwinter for both blue and great tits, whereas such non-linear pattern in willow tit was opposite and independent of BM. Surprisingly, BMR appears to be more sensitive to ambient temperatures than BM in all three species studied. Energy management is a multifaceted strategy that cannot be fully understood without considering reserve levels and energy expenditure simultaneously. Thus, our study indicates that the prevailing conceptual framework based on variation in BM alone is insufficient to understand seasonal energy management in small wintering passerines.</p>}},
  author       = {{Broggi, Juli and Nilsson, Johan F. and Koivula, Kari and Hohtola, Esa and Nilsson, Jan Åke}},
  issn         = {{0029-8549}},
  keywords     = {{Basal metabolic rate; Optimal body mass theory; Parus; Phenotypic integration; Winter ecology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{339--351}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Oecologia}},
  title        = {{Mass or pace? Seasonal energy management in wintering boreal passerines}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-04332-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00442-018-04332-6}},
  volume       = {{189}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}