Heat increment of feeding and partitioning of dietary energy in yearling Black Brant

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Sedinger, James S., White, Robert G., Hauer, William E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1992
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Branta bernicla
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z92-146; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z92-146

We examined daily energy expenditure and energy balance by making simultaneous measurements of gaseous exchange and apparent metabolizable energy (AME) intake in four captive Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) that ate alfalfa pellets. Daily energy expenditure was positively correlated with AME intake in all four individuals. The slope of this relationship represented an estimate of the heat increment of feeding, which averaged 0.20 for individuals in positive energy balance. Maintenance AME intake under experimental conditions was estimated at 451–646 kJ∙d −1 ∙kg −1 . Individuals in positive energy balance retained AME at an efficiency of 81%, which is amongst the highest recorded for birds. Thirty-five percent of the apparent net energy for production was accounted for by protein deposition, but the ratio of protein to lipid produced increased from late winter through spring.