Low costs of terrestrial locomotion in waders

• Main Authors: Bruinzeel, L. W., Piersma, T., Kersten, M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: Calidris canutus; Arenaria interpres; energetics; cost of foraging; walking; treadmill; allometric scaling; body mass regulation; ENERGY-EXPENDITURE; OXYGEN-CONSUMPTION; HEART-RATE; BODY SIZE; BIRDS; PENGUINS; MAMMALS; SHOREBIRDS; WATER
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/0057954b-4274-48bc-82f7-df16cde80765; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/0057954b-4274-48bc-82f7-df16cde80765; https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6660223/1999ArdeaBruinzeel.pdf

Energy expenditure of terrestrial locomotion on a linear treadmill was measured in five wader species: Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Knot Calidris canutus, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica. Additional data on Redshank Tringa totanus were taken from the literature. The cost of running in these waders, measured as the slope of the regression line of energy expenditure against speed of locomotion, is significantly less than an allometrically calculated slope for all bird species (Taylor et al. 1982). It is also less than in grouse species which, like waders, must walk to gather their food. Cost of running for a 100 g wader is 22% below the cost of a grouse, and 68% below the cost of a hypothetical penguin of similar mass. Intraindividual cost of running in relation to body mass of a Turnstone and interindividual cost of running in Knots reveal much stronger increases of running costs with increasing body mass than interspecific allometric relations would predict, and this elevated activity cost probably importantly influences the set point for body mass regulation in birds.