Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers
© 2015, The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.Antarctic penguins survive some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Emperor penguins breed on the sea ice where temperatures drop below 2408C and forage in21.88Cwaters. Their ability to maintain 388C body temperature in...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
eScholarship, University of California
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 |
id |
ftcdlib:qt0xs4w8d0 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftcdlib:qt0xs4w8d0 2023-05-15T16:06:00+02:00 Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers Williams, CL Hagelin, JC Kooyman, GL 2015-10-22 application/pdf http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 english eng eScholarship, University of California qt0xs4w8d0 http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 public Williams, CL; Hagelin, JC; & Kooyman, GL. (2015). Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1817). doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.2033. UC San Diego: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 article 2015 ftcdlib https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2033 2017-03-24T23:50:16Z © 2015, The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.Antarctic penguins survive some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Emperor penguins breed on the sea ice where temperatures drop below 2408C and forage in21.88Cwaters. Their ability to maintain 388C body temperature in these conditions is due in large part to their feathered coat. Penguins have been reported to have the highest contour feather density of any bird, and both filoplumes and plumules (downy feathers) are reported absent in penguins. In studies modelling the heat transfer properties and the potential biomimetic applications of penguin plumage design, the insulative properties of penguin plumage have been attributed to the single afterfeather attached to contour feathers. This attribution of the afterfeather as the sole insulation component has been repeated in subsequent studies. Our results demonstrate the presence of both plumules and filoplumes in the penguin body plumage. The downy plumules are four times denser than afterfeathers and play a key, previously overlooked role in penguin survival. Our study also does not support the report that emperor penguins have the highest contour feather density. Article in Journal/Newspaper Emperor penguins Sea ice University of California: eScholarship Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282 1817 20152033 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
English |
description |
© 2015, The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.Antarctic penguins survive some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Emperor penguins breed on the sea ice where temperatures drop below 2408C and forage in21.88Cwaters. Their ability to maintain 388C body temperature in these conditions is due in large part to their feathered coat. Penguins have been reported to have the highest contour feather density of any bird, and both filoplumes and plumules (downy feathers) are reported absent in penguins. In studies modelling the heat transfer properties and the potential biomimetic applications of penguin plumage design, the insulative properties of penguin plumage have been attributed to the single afterfeather attached to contour feathers. This attribution of the afterfeather as the sole insulation component has been repeated in subsequent studies. Our results demonstrate the presence of both plumules and filoplumes in the penguin body plumage. The downy plumules are four times denser than afterfeathers and play a key, previously overlooked role in penguin survival. Our study also does not support the report that emperor penguins have the highest contour feather density. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Williams, CL Hagelin, JC Kooyman, GL |
spellingShingle |
Williams, CL Hagelin, JC Kooyman, GL Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
author_facet |
Williams, CL Hagelin, JC Kooyman, GL |
author_sort |
Williams, CL |
title |
Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
title_short |
Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
title_full |
Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
title_fullStr |
Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
title_sort |
hidden keys to survival: the type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 |
genre |
Emperor penguins Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Emperor penguins Sea ice |
op_source |
Williams, CL; Hagelin, JC; & Kooyman, GL. (2015). Hidden keys to survival: The type, density, pattern and functional role of emperor penguin body feathers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1817). doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.2033. UC San Diego: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 |
op_relation |
qt0xs4w8d0 http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0xs4w8d0 |
op_rights |
public |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2033 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
282 |
container_issue |
1817 |
container_start_page |
20152033 |
_version_ |
1766401909079408640 |