Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea)
The Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus muta hyperborea, is the only year-round resident terrestrial bird in the high Arctic. Many of the physiological and morphological adaptations permitting its winter endurance in this harsh environment are well understood. However, it remains unknown how the conspi...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29816 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/29816 2023-08-27T04:08:11+02:00 Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) Nord, Andreas Holje, Vidar Judik, Benjamin Folkow, Lars Pap, Péter L. 2023-03-24 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29816 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 eng eng Springer Nature Polar Biology Nord, Holje, Judik, Folkow, Pap. Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea). Polar Biology. 2023:1-14 FRIDAID 2140235 doi:10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 0722-4060 1432-2056 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29816 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) openAccess Copyright 2023 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed publishedVersion 2023 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 2023-08-09T23:07:01Z The Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus muta hyperborea, is the only year-round resident terrestrial bird in the high Arctic. Many of the physiological and morphological adaptations permitting its winter endurance in this harsh environment are well understood. However, it remains unknown how the conspicuous moult from a greyish brown summer to a white winter plumage, and any underlying changes in plumage structure and feather morphology, contribute to seasonal acclimatisation. We used standard morphometric techniques to describe the seasonal change in plumage and feather characteristics in six body regions. Then, we investigated whether winter plumage traits difered between frst-winter and adult (second winter, or older) birds, because a diference in coat insulation has been suggested as an explanation for why frst-winter Svalbard Ptarmigan loose more heat than adults. Plumage feather density (i.e., feathers× cm −2 ) and mass density (i.e., mg feathers× cm −2 ) were higher in winter, particularly on the head and feet where individual feathers were also heavier, longer, and downier. Seasonal changes in other regions (back, tarsi) indicated acclimatisation primarily to resist physical wear and wind. First-winter and adult birds had similar feather densities. However, mass density in frst-winter birds was signifcantly lower than in adults in all but one body region (back) because individual feathers weighed less. This can explain previous observations of higher heat loss rates in frst-winter birds. Our study suggests that plumage acclimatisation contributes to optimising the winter phenotype of Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan, both through higher insulative capacity and by improved resistance to harsh weather. The extent of these adaptations may be determined by the time or energy available for feather growth, exemplifed here by inferior insulation in frst-winter birds. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Polar Biology rock ptarmigan Svalbard Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Arctic Svalbard Polar Biology 46 4 277 290 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
description |
The Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan, Lagopus muta hyperborea, is the only year-round resident terrestrial bird in the high Arctic. Many of the physiological and morphological adaptations permitting its winter endurance in this harsh environment are well understood. However, it remains unknown how the conspicuous moult from a greyish brown summer to a white winter plumage, and any underlying changes in plumage structure and feather morphology, contribute to seasonal acclimatisation. We used standard morphometric techniques to describe the seasonal change in plumage and feather characteristics in six body regions. Then, we investigated whether winter plumage traits difered between frst-winter and adult (second winter, or older) birds, because a diference in coat insulation has been suggested as an explanation for why frst-winter Svalbard Ptarmigan loose more heat than adults. Plumage feather density (i.e., feathers× cm −2 ) and mass density (i.e., mg feathers× cm −2 ) were higher in winter, particularly on the head and feet where individual feathers were also heavier, longer, and downier. Seasonal changes in other regions (back, tarsi) indicated acclimatisation primarily to resist physical wear and wind. First-winter and adult birds had similar feather densities. However, mass density in frst-winter birds was signifcantly lower than in adults in all but one body region (back) because individual feathers weighed less. This can explain previous observations of higher heat loss rates in frst-winter birds. Our study suggests that plumage acclimatisation contributes to optimising the winter phenotype of Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan, both through higher insulative capacity and by improved resistance to harsh weather. The extent of these adaptations may be determined by the time or energy available for feather growth, exemplifed here by inferior insulation in frst-winter birds. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nord, Andreas Holje, Vidar Judik, Benjamin Folkow, Lars Pap, Péter L. |
spellingShingle |
Nord, Andreas Holje, Vidar Judik, Benjamin Folkow, Lars Pap, Péter L. Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
author_facet |
Nord, Andreas Holje, Vidar Judik, Benjamin Folkow, Lars Pap, Péter L. |
author_sort |
Nord, Andreas |
title |
Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
title_short |
Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
title_full |
Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) |
title_sort |
seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the svalbard rock ptarmigan (lagopus muta hyperborea) |
publisher |
Springer Nature |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29816 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Polar Biology rock ptarmigan Svalbard Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan |
genre_facet |
Arctic Lagopus muta Lagopus muta hyperborea Polar Biology rock ptarmigan Svalbard Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan |
op_relation |
Polar Biology Nord, Holje, Judik, Folkow, Pap. Seasonal changes in plumage density, plumage mass, and feather morphology in the world’s northernmost land bird, the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea). Polar Biology. 2023:1-14 FRIDAID 2140235 doi:10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 0722-4060 1432-2056 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29816 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) openAccess Copyright 2023 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03118-8 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
277 |
op_container_end_page |
290 |
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1775348891329232896 |