Energetics and Growth Patterns of Three Tropical Bird Species

Bryant, David M.; Hails, C. J.

doi:10.1093/auk/100.2.425

Cited by 53 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The calculated optimum values of K for representative values of variables, which are reasonable for temperate-zone passerine birds, are well within the range of observed values for growth rates of these species. Ricklefs (1976) and Bryant and Hails ( 1983) found that standard metabolic rates of nestlings were lower in some tropical passerines than in temperate passerines, a parallel result for adults having been reported by Weathers (1979) and Hails (1983) (but see Vleck and Vleck [1979] for contrary data). In addition, large increases in nesting mortality rate result in only a small increase in optimum growth rate.…”

Section: Kn+• Kn Ubmentioning

confidence: 53%

The Optimization of Growth Rate in Altricial Birds

Ricklefs¹

1984

Ecology

140

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I have developed models relating the rate of growth of altricial bird~ to annual product! on of fledglings, a measure of evolutionary fitness. In the models, growth rate mfluence_s production through its effects on the power requirements of the nestling and the length of the nestmg cycle; the latter in turn affects probability of survival to fledging and number of broods reared per year. The models were evaluated to determine whether empirically reasonable estimates of power reqmrements and nesting mortality resulted in predicted optimum growth rates within the range of observed values. By and large the models were successful. They do not adequately explain the reduced growth rates of tropical altricial species compared to their temperate-zone counterparts. Moreover, th~y do not address the phenomenon of slow growth in self-feeding, precocial species. Bu~ the con?rmatJ~m .of t~e model for many altricial birds suggests that it may be possible to understand .mterspec1fic vanat10~ m .~owth rates as the result of adaptations to levels of predation and the reqmrement for, and avaliab1hty of, energy to the nestling.

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Section: Kn+• Kn Ubmentioning

confidence: 53%

The Optimization of Growth Rate in Altricial Birds

Ricklefs¹

1984

Ecology

140

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“…1980. A parallel pattern of slow growth and fat accumulations was found by Bryant and Hails ( 1983) in insectivorous birds faced with an unpredictable food supply. The fat accumulations and slow growth (reduced daily energy requirement) exhibited by all these birds will undoubtedly function to the benefit of the chick during especially long fasts, but have these characteristics evolved specifically as adaptations to intermittent feeding?…”

Section: Payload Mass and The Chick's Swallowing Capacity-mentioning

confidence: 64%

Food Provisioning by White‐Tailed Tropicbirds: Effects on the Developmental Pattern of Chicks

Schaffner¹

1990

Ecology

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Food provisioning of White—tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) chicks by their individually identified parents was studied at Cayo Luis Pena, Puerto Rico, in 1985—1986. This paper describes the pattern of this provisioning from the perspectives of both the chick receiving the food, and the individual parents delivering the food. The interval between feedings delivered by an individual adult was more variable than food payload mass (higher coefficients of variation), and there was no day—to—day relationship between the feeding interval and feed mass. Moreover, adults demonstrated the ability to lift and transport food payloads substantially larger than the mean feed mass. Energetic considerations suggest that there is strong selection for parents to decrease the feeding frequency and increase feed mass, to some limit imposed by either the limits of the parents' delivery capabilities, or the limits of the chick's food receiving (swallowing) capabilities (the volume a chick can ingest in one feeding bout). In fact, the limits of the chick's swallowing capabilities occur well before the parents' delivery limits are reached, and thereby set the feed mass at a weight and volume that is easily within the adults' lifting and transporting capabilities. The mean feed mass is viewed as reflecting a particular “target” payload mass that parents strive to collect as quickly as conditions, and their own individual foraging abilities, will allow, and is a practical compromise between the short—term interests of the chick and those of the adult. While parents are able to collect an abundance of food for their single chick, their pelagic foraging creates an intermittent, or “feast or famine” feeding situation for the chick which promotes the characteristic developmental pattern of slow growth and large fat accumulations. The developmental pattern of White—tailed Tropicbirds and other pelagic birds may be better understood by examining the temporal pattern of feeding, and thus there is a need for more comparative and experimental ecological and physiological studies focusing on patterns of food delivery and their possible effects, as well as the average rate of energy flow.

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“…The maximum energy demand placed on parents by altricial young, a parameter that may have implications for brood productivity (Bryant & Hails 1983) and that ultimately is related to fitness, may occur toward the end of the nestling period (but see Weathers & Sullivan 1989). If a relationship between peak energy demand and brood productivity does exist, then interspecific variation in peak daily metabolizable energy intake of nestlings should provide clues about the capacity of parents to find food in a given environment, and how natural selection has modulated growth rates and clutch size to maximize fitness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy expenditure and water flux of free‐living Dune Larks in the Namib: a test of the reallocation hypothesis on a desert bird

Williams

2001

Functional Ecology

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Summary1. Dune Larks ( Mirafra erythroclamys ) are the only avian species that has evolved the capability of surviving in the Namib Sand Sea, one of the driest regions in the world. Their field metabolic rate (FMR) and water flux, as measured by doubly labelled water, during the breeding and non-breeding season are reported here. 2. FMR is relatively constant over the annual cycle, which conforms to the 'reallocation hypothesis'. With data pooled for both seasons, males expended energy at a rate of 97·5 ± 20·4 kJ day -1 ( ± 1 SD) and females at 87·5 ± 13·0 kJ day -1 . The data supported the hypothesis that Dune Larks do not possess a reduced FMR, a result attributable to their elevated basal metabolism. In a previous laboratory investigation, Dune Larks had a low rate of evaporative water loss despite their elevated basal metabolic rate (BMR). The present study demonstrated that this low evaporative water loss translates into a low water influx in the field. 3. The FMR of Dune Lark females equalled 88·1 ± 6·9 kJ day -1 during incubation, and 88·5 ± 9·9 kJ day -1 when they were feeding 8-10-day-old nestlings. These data do not support the idea that the incubation period is a time of low energy demand. 4. Dune Larks had a relatively constant water influx throughout the year. For sexes combined, mass-adjusted values of water influx averaged 0·59 ml H 2 O/(day mass 0·682 ). 5. Calculations showed that neonates received 10 kJ day -1 whereas towards the end of the nestling period, chicks were fed 75 kJ day -1 , the maximum gross energy intake for nestlings. During chick rearing, males increased the amount of food that they found by 57·7%, females by 64·3%, late in the nestling period. 6. Dune Larks foraged in the morning and late afternoon, but were constrained by their environment to seek shade at midday during the breeding season. 7. Metabolic water production plays a significant role in the water economy of Dune Larks. Assuming a mixed diet, 47% of their water intake comes from the oxidation of food stuffs.

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Energetics and Growth Patterns of Three Tropical Bird Species

Cited by 53 publications

References 28 publications

The Optimization of Growth Rate in Altricial Birds

The Optimization of Growth Rate in Altricial Birds

Food Provisioning by White‐Tailed Tropicbirds: Effects on the Developmental Pattern of Chicks

Energy expenditure and water flux of free‐living Dune Larks in the Namib: a test of the reallocation hypothesis on a desert bird

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