Nocturnal body temperature in wintering blue tits is affected by roost-site temperature and body reserves.
(2011) In Oecologia 167. p.21-25- Abstract
- Birds commonly use rest-phase hypothermia, a controlled reduction of body temperature (T (b)), to conserve energy during times of high metabolic demands. We assessed the flexibility of this heterothermic strategy by increasing roost-site temperature and recording the subsequent T (b) changes in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus L.), assuming that blue tits would respond to treatment by increasing T (b). We found that birds increased T (b) when roost-site temperature was increased, but only at low ambient temperatures. Moreover, birds with larger fat reserves regulated T (b) at higher levels than birds carrying less fat. This result implies that a roosting blue tit maintains its T (b) at the highest affordable level, as determined by... (More)
- Birds commonly use rest-phase hypothermia, a controlled reduction of body temperature (T (b)), to conserve energy during times of high metabolic demands. We assessed the flexibility of this heterothermic strategy by increasing roost-site temperature and recording the subsequent T (b) changes in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus L.), assuming that blue tits would respond to treatment by increasing T (b). We found that birds increased T (b) when roost-site temperature was increased, but only at low ambient temperatures. Moreover, birds with larger fat reserves regulated T (b) at higher levels than birds carrying less fat. This result implies that a roosting blue tit maintains its T (b) at the highest affordable level, as determined by the interacting effect of ecophysiological costs associated with rest-phase hypothermia and energy reserves, in order to minimize potential fitness costs associated with a low T (b). (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1883288
- author
- Nord, Andreas LU ; Nilsson, Johan LU and Nilsson, Jan-Åke LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2011
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Body temperature – Fat reserves – Heterothermia – Hypothermia – Roosting
- in
- Oecologia
- volume
- 167
- pages
- 21 - 25
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000293914000003
- scopus:80051672575
- ISSN
- 1432-1939
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00442-011-1972-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fee6dcd1-60d6-49bf-a73e-13e551d7fde0 (old id 1883288)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:30:35
- date last changed
- 2022-02-10 02:51:00
@article{fee6dcd1-60d6-49bf-a73e-13e551d7fde0,
abstract = {{Birds commonly use rest-phase hypothermia, a controlled reduction of body temperature (T (b)), to conserve energy during times of high metabolic demands. We assessed the flexibility of this heterothermic strategy by increasing roost-site temperature and recording the subsequent T (b) changes in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus L.), assuming that blue tits would respond to treatment by increasing T (b). We found that birds increased T (b) when roost-site temperature was increased, but only at low ambient temperatures. Moreover, birds with larger fat reserves regulated T (b) at higher levels than birds carrying less fat. This result implies that a roosting blue tit maintains its T (b) at the highest affordable level, as determined by the interacting effect of ecophysiological costs associated with rest-phase hypothermia and energy reserves, in order to minimize potential fitness costs associated with a low T (b).}},
author = {{Nord, Andreas and Nilsson, Johan and Nilsson, Jan-Åke}},
issn = {{1432-1939}},
keywords = {{Body temperature – Fat reserves – Heterothermia – Hypothermia – Roosting}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{21--25}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Oecologia}},
title = {{Nocturnal body temperature in wintering blue tits is affected by roost-site temperature and body reserves.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-1972-6}},
doi = {{10.1007/s00442-011-1972-6}},
volume = {{167}},
year = {{2011}},
}