Accelerometry predicts daily energy ependiture in a bird with high activity levels

• Published in: Biology Letters
• Main Authors: H. Elliott, Kyle, Le Vaillant, Maryline, Kato, Akiko, R. Speakman, John, Ropert‐coudert, Yan
• Other Authors: Department of Biological Sciences Winnipeg, University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE-IPHC), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: accelerometer; dynamic body acceleration; field metabolic rate; muscle efficiency; seabird; [SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Uria lomvia; uria
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00760692; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0919

International audience Animal ecology is shaped by energy costs, yet it is difficult to measure fine-scale energy expenditure in the wild. Because metabolism is often closely cor-related with mechanical work, accelerometers have the potential to provide detailed information on energy expenditure of wild animals over fine temporal scales. Nonetheless, accelerometry needs to be validated on wild animals, especially across different locomotory modes. We merged data collected on 20 thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) from miniaturized accelerometers with measurements of daily energy expenditure over 24 h using doubly labelled water. Across three different locomotory modes (swimming, flying and move-ment on land), dynamic body acceleration was a good predictor of daily energy expenditure as measured independently by doubly labelled water (R 2 ¼0.73). The most parsimonious model suggested that different equations were needed to predict energy expenditure from accelerometry for flying than for surface swimming or activity on land (R 2 ¼0.81). Our results demonstrate that acceler-ometers can provide an accurate integrated measure of energy expenditure in wild animals using many different locomotory modes