The role of wingbeat frequency and amplitude in flight power
(2022) In Journal of the Royal Society Interface 19(193).- Abstract
Body-mounted accelerometers provide a new prospect for estimating power use in flying birds, as the signal varies with the two major kinematic determinants of aerodynamic power: wingbeat frequency and amplitude. Yet wingbeat frequency is sometimes used as a proxy for power output in isolation. There is, therefore, a need to understand which kinematic parameter birds vary and whether this is predicted by flight mode (e.g. accelerating, ascending/descending flight), speed or morphology. We investigate this using high-frequency acceleration data from (i) 14 species flying in the wild, (ii) two species flying in controlled conditions in a wind tunnel and (iii) a review of experimental and field studies. While wingbeat frequency and... (More)
Body-mounted accelerometers provide a new prospect for estimating power use in flying birds, as the signal varies with the two major kinematic determinants of aerodynamic power: wingbeat frequency and amplitude. Yet wingbeat frequency is sometimes used as a proxy for power output in isolation. There is, therefore, a need to understand which kinematic parameter birds vary and whether this is predicted by flight mode (e.g. accelerating, ascending/descending flight), speed or morphology. We investigate this using high-frequency acceleration data from (i) 14 species flying in the wild, (ii) two species flying in controlled conditions in a wind tunnel and (iii) a review of experimental and field studies. While wingbeat frequency and amplitude were positively correlated, R 2 values were generally low, supporting the idea that parameters can vary independently. Indeed, birds were more likely to modulate wingbeat amplitude for more energy-demanding flight modes, including climbing and take-off. Nonetheless, the striking variability, even within species and flight types, highlights the complexity of describing the kinematic relationships, which appear sensitive to both the biological and physical context. Notwithstanding this, acceleration metrics that incorporate both kinematic parameters should be more robust proxies for power than wingbeat frequency alone.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-08-24
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- accelerometry, bio-logging, energy expenditure, kinematics, movement ecology
- in
- Journal of the Royal Society Interface
- volume
- 19
- issue
- 193
- article number
- 20220168
- publisher
- The Royal Society of Canada
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:36000229
- scopus:85136390364
- ISSN
- 1742-5689
- DOI
- 10.1098/rsif.2022.0168
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 74a2bd75-ff9d-40be-a13d-1af652131c0f
- date added to LUP
- 2022-10-21 15:30:32
- date last changed
- 2024-04-18 15:10:55
@article{74a2bd75-ff9d-40be-a13d-1af652131c0f,
abstract = {{<p>Body-mounted accelerometers provide a new prospect for estimating power use in flying birds, as the signal varies with the two major kinematic determinants of aerodynamic power: wingbeat frequency and amplitude. Yet wingbeat frequency is sometimes used as a proxy for power output in isolation. There is, therefore, a need to understand which kinematic parameter birds vary and whether this is predicted by flight mode (e.g. accelerating, ascending/descending flight), speed or morphology. We investigate this using high-frequency acceleration data from (i) 14 species flying in the wild, (ii) two species flying in controlled conditions in a wind tunnel and (iii) a review of experimental and field studies. While wingbeat frequency and amplitude were positively correlated, R 2 values were generally low, supporting the idea that parameters can vary independently. Indeed, birds were more likely to modulate wingbeat amplitude for more energy-demanding flight modes, including climbing and take-off. Nonetheless, the striking variability, even within species and flight types, highlights the complexity of describing the kinematic relationships, which appear sensitive to both the biological and physical context. Notwithstanding this, acceleration metrics that incorporate both kinematic parameters should be more robust proxies for power than wingbeat frequency alone.</p>}},
author = {{Krishnan, Krishnamoorthy and Garde, Baptiste and Bennison, Ashley and Cole, Nik C. and Cole, Emma L. and Darby, Jamie and Elliott, Kyle H. and Fell, Adam and Gómez-Laich, Agustina and De Grissac, Sophie and Jessopp, Mark and Lempidakis, Emmanouil and Mizutani, Yuichi and Prudor, Aurélien and Quetting, Michael and Quintana, Flavio and Robotka, Hermina and Roulin, Alexandre and Ryan, Peter G. and Schalcher, Kim and Schoombie, Stefan and Tatayah, Vikash and Tremblay, Fred and Weimerskirch, Henri and Whelan, Shannon and Wikelski, Martin and Yoda, Ken and Hedenström, Anders and Shepard, Emily L.C.}},
issn = {{1742-5689}},
keywords = {{accelerometry; bio-logging; energy expenditure; kinematics; movement ecology}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{193}},
publisher = {{The Royal Society of Canada}},
series = {{Journal of the Royal Society Interface}},
title = {{The role of wingbeat frequency and amplitude in flight power}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0168}},
doi = {{10.1098/rsif.2022.0168}},
volume = {{19}},
year = {{2022}},
}