Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins.
Once a year, penguins undergo a catastrophic moult, replacing their entire plumage during a fasting period on land or on sea-ice during which time individuals can lose 45% of their body mass. In penguins, new feather synthesis precedes the loss of old feathers, leading to an accumulation of two feat...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38826104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11213523/ |
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ftpubmed:38826104 2024-09-15T18:31:41+00:00 Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. Lewden, Agnès Halna du Fretay, Tristan Stier, Antoine 2024 Jun 01 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38826104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11213523/ eng eng Silverchair Information Systems https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38826104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11213523/ © 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. J Exp Biol ISSN:1477-9145 Volume:227 Issue:11 Global warming Moult Penguin Thermal challenge Thermoregulation Journal Article 2024 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 2024-06-30T16:01:00Z Once a year, penguins undergo a catastrophic moult, replacing their entire plumage during a fasting period on land or on sea-ice during which time individuals can lose 45% of their body mass. In penguins, new feather synthesis precedes the loss of old feathers, leading to an accumulation of two feather layers (double coat) before the old plumage is shed. We hypothesized that the combination of the high metabolism required for new feather synthesis and the potentially high thermal insulation linked to the double coat could lead to a thermal challenge requiring additional peripheral circulation to thermal windows to dissipate the extra heat. To test this hypothesis, we measured the surface temperature of different body regions of captive gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) throughout the moult under constant environmental conditions. The surface temperature of the main body trunk decreased during the initial stages of the moult, suggesting greater thermal insulation. In contrast, the periorbital region, a potential proxy of core temperature in birds, increased during these same early moulting stages. The surface temperature of the bill, flipper and foot (thermal windows) tended to initially increase during the moult, highlighting the likely need for extra heat dissipation in moulting penguins. These results raise questions regarding the thermoregulatory capacities of penguins in the wild during the challenging period of moulting on land in the current context of global warming. Article in Journal/Newspaper Pygoscelis papua Sea ice PubMed Central (PMC) Journal of Experimental Biology 227 11 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
PubMed Central (PMC) |
op_collection_id |
ftpubmed |
language |
English |
topic |
Global warming Moult Penguin Thermal challenge Thermoregulation |
spellingShingle |
Global warming Moult Penguin Thermal challenge Thermoregulation Lewden, Agnès Halna du Fretay, Tristan Stier, Antoine Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
topic_facet |
Global warming Moult Penguin Thermal challenge Thermoregulation |
description |
Once a year, penguins undergo a catastrophic moult, replacing their entire plumage during a fasting period on land or on sea-ice during which time individuals can lose 45% of their body mass. In penguins, new feather synthesis precedes the loss of old feathers, leading to an accumulation of two feather layers (double coat) before the old plumage is shed. We hypothesized that the combination of the high metabolism required for new feather synthesis and the potentially high thermal insulation linked to the double coat could lead to a thermal challenge requiring additional peripheral circulation to thermal windows to dissipate the extra heat. To test this hypothesis, we measured the surface temperature of different body regions of captive gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) throughout the moult under constant environmental conditions. The surface temperature of the main body trunk decreased during the initial stages of the moult, suggesting greater thermal insulation. In contrast, the periorbital region, a potential proxy of core temperature in birds, increased during these same early moulting stages. The surface temperature of the bill, flipper and foot (thermal windows) tended to initially increase during the moult, highlighting the likely need for extra heat dissipation in moulting penguins. These results raise questions regarding the thermoregulatory capacities of penguins in the wild during the challenging period of moulting on land in the current context of global warming. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lewden, Agnès Halna du Fretay, Tristan Stier, Antoine |
author_facet |
Lewden, Agnès Halna du Fretay, Tristan Stier, Antoine |
author_sort |
Lewden, Agnès |
title |
Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
title_short |
Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
title_full |
Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
title_fullStr |
Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
title_sort |
changes in body surface temperature reveal the thermal challenge associated with catastrophic moult in captive gentoo penguins. |
publisher |
Silverchair Information Systems |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38826104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11213523/ |
genre |
Pygoscelis papua Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Pygoscelis papua Sea ice |
op_source |
J Exp Biol ISSN:1477-9145 Volume:227 Issue:11 |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38826104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11213523/ |
op_rights |
© 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.247332 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
container_volume |
227 |
container_issue |
11 |
_version_ |
1810473430053552128 |