Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird
Arctic homeotherms counter challenges at high latitudes using a combination of seasonal adjustments in pelage/plumage, fat deposition and intricate thermoregulatory adaptations. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of their thermal responses to cold, particularly in Arctic birds. Here,...
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The Company of Biologists Ltd
2018
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Online Access: | https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 |
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ftulundlup:oai:lup.lub.lu.se:40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c 2024-02-11T09:59:50+01:00 Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird Nord, Andreas Folkow, Lars P. 2018-01-01 https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 eng eng The Company of Biologists Ltd https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 scopus:85040528625 pmid:29113988 Journal of Experimental Biology; 221(1) (2018) ISSN: 0022-0949 Evolutionary Biology Arctic Heat loss rate Heterothermy Peripheral temperature Seasonal acclimatization Thermoregulation contributiontojournal/article info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2018 ftulundlup https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 2024-01-17T23:29:14Z Arctic homeotherms counter challenges at high latitudes using a combination of seasonal adjustments in pelage/plumage, fat deposition and intricate thermoregulatory adaptations. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of their thermal responses to cold, particularly in Arctic birds. Here, we have studied the potential use of local heterothermy (i.e. tissue cooling that can contribute to significantly lower heat loss rate) in Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) °C the world's northernmost land bird. We exposed birds kept under simulated Svalbard photoperiod to low ambient temperatures (Ta; between 0 and -30°C) during three seasons (early winter, late winter, summer), whilst recording resting metabolic rate (RMR), core temperature (Tc) and several cutaneous temperatures. Leg skin temperature varied the most, but still only by up to 15°C, whereas body trunk skin temperature changed 1°C when Ta decreased from 0 to -30°C. At the same time, Tc increased by 0.9°C, concomitant with increased RMR. This was probably driven by the triggering of cerebral thermosensors in response to cooling of the poorly insulated head, the skin of which was 5.4°C colder at -30°C than at 0°C. Thermal conductance in winter was higher in yearlings, probably because they were time/resource constrained from acquiring a high-quality plumage and sufficient fat reserves as a result of concomitant body growth. In conclusion, Svalbard ptarmigan do not employ extensive local heterothermy for cold protection but instead rely on efficient thermogenesis combined with excellent body insulation. Hence, cold defence in the world's northernmost land bird is not mechanistically much different from that of its lower latitude relatives. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic birds Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Svalbard Lund University Publications (LUP) Arctic Svalbard Journal of Experimental Biology |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Lund University Publications (LUP) |
op_collection_id |
ftulundlup |
language |
English |
topic |
Evolutionary Biology Arctic Heat loss rate Heterothermy Peripheral temperature Seasonal acclimatization Thermoregulation |
spellingShingle |
Evolutionary Biology Arctic Heat loss rate Heterothermy Peripheral temperature Seasonal acclimatization Thermoregulation Nord, Andreas Folkow, Lars P. Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
topic_facet |
Evolutionary Biology Arctic Heat loss rate Heterothermy Peripheral temperature Seasonal acclimatization Thermoregulation |
description |
Arctic homeotherms counter challenges at high latitudes using a combination of seasonal adjustments in pelage/plumage, fat deposition and intricate thermoregulatory adaptations. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of their thermal responses to cold, particularly in Arctic birds. Here, we have studied the potential use of local heterothermy (i.e. tissue cooling that can contribute to significantly lower heat loss rate) in Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) °C the world's northernmost land bird. We exposed birds kept under simulated Svalbard photoperiod to low ambient temperatures (Ta; between 0 and -30°C) during three seasons (early winter, late winter, summer), whilst recording resting metabolic rate (RMR), core temperature (Tc) and several cutaneous temperatures. Leg skin temperature varied the most, but still only by up to 15°C, whereas body trunk skin temperature changed 1°C when Ta decreased from 0 to -30°C. At the same time, Tc increased by 0.9°C, concomitant with increased RMR. This was probably driven by the triggering of cerebral thermosensors in response to cooling of the poorly insulated head, the skin of which was 5.4°C colder at -30°C than at 0°C. Thermal conductance in winter was higher in yearlings, probably because they were time/resource constrained from acquiring a high-quality plumage and sufficient fat reserves as a result of concomitant body growth. In conclusion, Svalbard ptarmigan do not employ extensive local heterothermy for cold protection but instead rely on efficient thermogenesis combined with excellent body insulation. Hence, cold defence in the world's northernmost land bird is not mechanistically much different from that of its lower latitude relatives. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nord, Andreas Folkow, Lars P. |
author_facet |
Nord, Andreas Folkow, Lars P. |
author_sort |
Nord, Andreas |
title |
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
title_short |
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
title_full |
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
title_sort |
seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost land bird |
publisher |
The Company of Biologists Ltd |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic birds Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Arctic birds Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Svalbard |
op_source |
Journal of Experimental Biology; 221(1) (2018) ISSN: 0022-0949 |
op_relation |
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/40531fa4-4f95-488f-a025-8aa251515f2c http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 scopus:85040528625 pmid:29113988 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.171124 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
_version_ |
1790595570771951616 |