Blue petrel electrocardiograms measured through a dummy egg reveal a slow heart rate during egg incubation ...
Abstract Background Seabirds like penguins and petrels, living in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, often feed hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the islands where they breed. They therefore adapted to endure prolonged fasting during egg incubation, enabling their partner to under...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
figshare
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7365078.v1 https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Blue_petrel_electrocardiograms_measured_through_a_dummy_egg_reveal_a_slow_heart_rate_during_egg_incubation/7365078/1 |
| Summary: | Abstract Background Seabirds like penguins and petrels, living in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, often feed hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the islands where they breed. They therefore adapted to endure prolonged fasting during egg incubation, enabling their partner to undertake foraging trips that can last up to two weeks. Aside from accumulating and consuming fat reserves, it is unclear whether seabirds have developed further adaptations to extended fasting periods. This lack of knowledge is in part due to their remote nesting location and their extreme sensitivity to manipulation. To overcome this lack of knowledge, we developed a non-invasive device to record the heart rate (HR) of burrow-nesting blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) during egg incubation. For that, we encapsulated a small-size logger in a dummy egg to record electrocardiograms (ECGs) through the featherless incubation patch of the birds. Results The blue petrels’ HR (208 ± 15 beats per min [bpm]; n = 6) that we ... |
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