Bioenergetics of Lipid Deposition in the Bobolink, a Trans-Equatorial Migrant

Gifford, C. E.; Odum, Eugene P.

doi:10.2307/1365632

Cited by 34 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The first hypothesis, proposed by Wachs (1926), is that birds experience a general reduction in basal metabolism or an increase in assimilation efficiency, and the second is that birds become hyperphagic and deposit fat prior to migration. The latter hypothesis has been shown to apply for many species of birds (Odum, 1960;Gifford & Odum, 1965), while the former applies to the three species of Myotis in this study and may apply to many bats that migrate or hibernate. Furthermore, M. lucifugus and M. thysanodes have been shown not to become hyperphagic during their period of fat deposition (Studier, unpublished data).…”

Section: Energeticsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Autumn fat deposition and gross body composition in three species of Myotis

Ewing

Studier

O’Farrell

1970

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology

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Abstract--1. Mid-August to mid-September fat indices for female Myotis lucifugus were 0.58-0"69 g fat/g lean dry wt. with constant gross body composition.2. During the same time span, fat indices of female M. yumanensis showed a gradual significant increase from 0"30 to 0"87 with a concurrent significant increase in percent non-fat and percent water.3. In mid-September, fat indices of M. thysanodes increased significantly from 0'09 to 0-73, while gross body composition was unchanged.4. M. thysanodes body fat had a caloric content of 9"418 + 0"016 kcal/g. 5.Fatty acid analysis revealed 72-81 per cent unsaturation with oleic acid being the most abundant.6. For each species, females contained more body fat than males, and adults were fatter than young of the year.

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Section: Energeticsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Autumn fat deposition and gross body composition in three species of Myotis

Ewing

Studier

O’Farrell

1970

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology

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“…While this increase in the amount of food eaten fully accounts for the body mass increase in the whitecrowned sparrow (King 1961), the white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis (Odum 1960), the bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Gifford and Odum 1965), the ortolan bunting, Emberiza hortulana (Wallgren 1954), the dark-bellied brent goose, and the whimbrel, Numenia phaeopus (Zwarts 1990), it only partly explains the migratory body mass gain in the whitethroat (Sylvia communis) and the European robin, Erithacus rubecula (Merkel 1958), the yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava (Fry et al 1972), the dickcissel, Spiza americana (Zimmermann 1965), the spotted munia, Lonchura punctulata (Bhatt and Chandola 1985), and the garden warbler (Bairlein 1985;Hume and Biebach 1996). In these species, hyperphagia is associated with an increase of assimilation efficiency (Bairlein 1999).…”

Section: Hyperphagia and Assimilation Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

How to get fat: nutritional mechanisms of seasonal fat accumulation in migratory songbirds

Bairlein

2002

Naturwissenschaften

203

151

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Many migratory birds accumulate large amounts of lipids as the prime energy source for their long-distance flights. This fat accumulation is mostly under endogenous control, reflecting genetically programmed temporal shifts of the body mass set point. It is accompanied by an increase in daily food intake and food utilisation efficiency and by a seasonal shift in food selection. In particular, seasonal frugivory appears to play a key role in many migrants. Fruits have a high content of fatty acids indispensable for building up the specific depot lipids. In addition, plant secondary compounds seem to play some kind of supportive role, but the mechanisms are not yet known. The effect of being fat on the metabolic situation in migrant birds appears to be similar to the metabolic syndrome in obese humans. The fat migratory bird provides a model through which to study nutritional factors as well as the biochemical and endocrine regulation of food intake, body mass and obesity.

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“…Since Bobolinks have not been studied in South America it would be interesting to simulate a natural lighting regimen in the laboratory and record the testicular cycle. Gifford and Odum ( 1965) did expose Bobolinks to simulated cycles in the laboratory for energetic purposes and recorded food consumption, body weight, water uptake, Zugunruhe, and moult, but unfortunately they did not record changes in beak color in the males, and so we do not have even indirect information about the normal testis cycle. One of the purposes of the present investigation was to obtain laboratory data on the testis cycle of Bobolinks on simulated natural photoperiods for at least 1 year.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…leave no doubt that natural cyclical breeding cycles If such a possibility obtained for Bobolinks, then are real. Spontaneous changes in body weight they also might be able to readjust their clocks and Zugunruhe under constant 10-hour daylengths seasonally, and thus avoid the problem of breeding (Gifford and Odum 1965) suggest that other in Brazil. physiological systems in the Bobolink might also Four kinds of experiments were thus conducted have an autonomous component, and hence it was to provide more basic information about the breedadditionally important to place Bobolinks under ing cycle of Bobolinks: determination of photoconstant and continuous illumination for at least refractory period; responses to simulated natural a year to see if their testes would also exhibit day lengths; responses to continuous illumination; spontaneous cycles of growth and regression.…”

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confidence: 99%

Why Don't Boblinks Breed in Brazil?

Hamner

Stocking

1970

Ecology

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The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, experiences two sets of "long" and "short" days each year during the transequatorial migration between North and South America. Increasing daylength normally stimulates gametogenesis in birds, and thus it is perplexing that Bobolinks do not also respond to the southern summer and attempt to breed in Brazil. Previous hypotheses regarding transequatorial migration are discussed; four experiments relating to these hypotheses are presented and evaluated. The testis cycle, moult pattern, body weight fluctuations, and beak color of male birds were followed on simulated natural daylength cycles for 15 months at 20—day intervals. Body weight and testis cycles appeared normal on this simulated natural cycle; beak color patterns and moult desynchronized. Absolute insensitivity to light terminates by late October; thereafter the birds are sensitive to "long days" for 6 months, yet they do not respond to an increasing daylength cycle comparable to 20° S latitude. Birds were also exposed to 17 months of continuous bright light: body weight cycles were regular for 6 months, then desynchronized; the testes regressed but spontaneous recrudescence was observed in 3 of 13 birds; recrudescence was not synchronous. Bobolinks did not respond to the 6L—30D lighting cycle that indicates a circadian control mechanism in other birds. A summarization of the photoperiodic responses of the Bobolink is included.

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Bioenergetics of Lipid Deposition in the Bobolink, a Trans-Equatorial Migrant

Cited by 34 publications

References 17 publications

Autumn fat deposition and gross body composition in three species of Myotis

Autumn fat deposition and gross body composition in three species of Myotis

How to get fat: nutritional mechanisms of seasonal fat accumulation in migratory songbirds

Why Don't Boblinks Breed in Brazil?

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