An infrared thermographic study of surface temperature in the euthermic woodchuck (Marmota monax).

Surface temperatures were measured in euthermic woodchucks (Marmota monax) using infrared thermography across a range of ambient temperatures from -10 degrees C to 32 degrees C. The woodchuck keeps surface temperature of the peripalpebral region uniformly high, while head and body surfaces change proportionally with ambient temperature. When ambient temperature was below 0 degrees C, all surface temperatures increased which prevents freezing. At no point did the animals appear to be unable to regulate heat exchange. This species appears to be especially well adapted to the higher temperatures it encounters in its range. Vasomotion in the feet and to a lesser extent in the pinnae was used to regulate heat loss. At ambient temperature of 32 degrees C, mean temperatures of nose surfaces were 0.2 degrees C and 0.3 degrees C less than ambient temperature suggesting a type of counter current cooling mechanism may be present.     

Thermoregulation in a large bird,the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

The emu is a large, flightless bird native to Australia. Its habitats range from the high snow country to the arid interior of the continent. Our experiments show that the emu maintains a constant body temperature within the ambient temperature range-5 to 45°C. The males regulate their body temperature about 0.5°C lower than the females. With falling ambient temperature the emu regulates its body temperature initially by reducing conductance and then by increasing heat production. At-5°C the cost of maintaining thermal balance is 2.6 times basal metabolic rate. By sitting down and reducing heat loss from the legs the cost of homeothermy at-5°C is reduced to 1.5 times basal metabolic rate. At high ambient temperatures the emu utilises cutaneous evaporative water loss in addition to panting. At 45°C evaporation is equal to 160% of heat production. Panting accounts for 70% of total evaporation at 45°C. The cost of utilising cutaneous evaporation for the other 30% appears to be an increase in dry conductance.Abbreviations A _r Effective radiating surface area - BMR basal metabolic rate - C _dry dry conductance - CEWL cutaneous evaporative water loss - EHL evaporative heat loss - EWL evaporative water loss - FECO₂ fractional concentration of CO₂ in excurrent air - FF_H2O water content of chamber excurrent air - FEO₂ fractional concentration of O₂ in chamber excurrent air - FICO₂ fractional concentration of CO₂ in incurrent air - FIO₂ fractional concentration of O₂ in chamber incurrent air - MHP metabolic heat production - MR metabolic rate - REWL respiratory evaporative water loss - RH relative humidity - RQ respiratory quotient ; - SA surface area - SEM standard error of the mean - SNK Student-Newman-Keuls multiple range test - STPD standard temperature and pressure dry - T _a ambient temperature(s) - T _b body temperature(s) - T _e surface temperature(s) - flow rate of air into the chamber - carbon dioxide production - oxygen consumption - vapour pressure of water     

Energy budget of the chicken foot

1. 1.|A mathematical model predicts the energy loss from a chicken foot provided the following variables are known: body temperature, air temperature, wind velocity, blood flow to the foot, and the relative partitioning of blood flow via two distinct venous returns.

2. 2.|Chickens are capable of keeping their feet from freezing at temperatures as low as −30°C ambient, but at a high energy cost.

3. 3.|Chickens can modulate blood flow to their feet at thermoneutral temperatures enough to vary heat loss to environment by about one-fourth metabolic heat production.

A DNA test to sex ratite birds

DNA-based sex tests now exist for many avian species. However, none of these tests are widely applicable to ratites. We present DNA sequence data for a locus that is W chromosome-linked in the kiwi, ostrich, cassowary, rhea, and emu. At the amino acid level, this sequence has significant homology to X-linked genes in platyfish and Caenorhabditis elegans. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers designed to this locus allow the assignment of sex in all species of living ratites.     

Ventilatory accommodation of oxygen demand and respiratory water loss in a large bird,the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), and a re-examination of ventilatory allometry for birds

Ventilation was studied in the emu, a large flightless bird of mass 40kg, within the range of ambient temperatures from-5 to 45°C. Data for the emu and 21 other species were used to calculate allometric relationships for resting ventilatory parameters in birds (breath frequency=13.5 mass^-0.314; tidal volume=20.7 mass^1.0). At low ambient temperatures the ventilatory system must accommodate the increased metabolic demand for oxygen. In the emu this was achieved by a combination of increased tidal volume and increased oxygen extraction. Data from emus sitting and standing at-5°C, when metabolism is 1.5x and 2.6x basal metabolic rate, respectively, indicate that at least in the emu an increase in oxygen extraction can be stimulated by low temperature independent of oxygen demand. At higher ambient temperatures ventilation was increased to facilitate respiratory water loss. The emu achieved this by increased respiratory frequency. At moderate heat loads (30–35°C) tidal volume fell. This is usually interpreted as a mechanism whereby respiratory water loss can be increased without increasing parabronchial ventilation. At 45°C tidal volume increased; however, past studies have shown that CO₂ washout is minimal under these conditions. The mechanism whereby this is possible is discussed.Abbreviations BMR basal metabolic rate - BTPS body temperature, ambient pressure, saturated - EO ₂ oxygen extraction - EWL evaporative water loss - f _R ventilation frequency - RH relative humidity - RHL respiratory heat loss - SEM standard error of the mean - SNK student-Newman-Keuls multiple range test - STPD standard temperature and pressure, dry - T _a ambient temperatures(s) - T _b body temperature(s) - T _ex expired air temperature(s) - T _rh chamber excurrent air temperature - V _J ventilation - VO₂ oxygen consumption - V _T tidal volume - V/Q air ventilation to blood perfusion ratio     

Chromosome studies in four species of Ratitae (Aves)

Chromosomes were studied in female specimens of the ostrich, Struthio camelus L., cassowary, Casuarius casuarius (L.), emu, Dromiceius novaehollandiae (Lath.) and rhea, Rhea americana L. by means of blood and feather pulp culture techniques. Male karyotypes were also studied in the emu and rhea. The diploid chromosome number was most likely 80 in the ostrich and rhea and 82 in the emu, while the exact number could not be determined in the cassowary. Karyotypes of the 4 species were strikingly similar and apparently interchangeable with one another with slight modifications of the centromeric position in one or two pairs of macrochromosomes. No heteromorphic macrochromosomal pair was found either in female specimens or in male ones of the ratite species so far examined, except for a female rhea. This specimen was found to possess an acrocentric chromosome which was evidently a member of nos. 4–6, but considerably smaller than any other chromosome of the group. ³H-thymidine autoradiography provided no more information than the straightforward morphological analysis with regard to the differentiation of the sex-chromosomes.Contributions from the Chromosome Research Unit, Hokkaido University. Dedicated to Emeritus Professor Sajiro Makino on the occasion of his retirement, in honor of his 40 years' service with the University. Supported by a grant from the Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Education (No. 584099).     

Multiple nuclear genes and retroposons support vicariance and dispersal of the palaeognaths,and an Early Cretaceous origin of modern birds

The origin and timing of the diversification of modern birds remains controversial, primarily because phylogenetic relationships are incompletely resolved and uncertainty persists in molecular estimates of lineage ages. Here, we present a species tree for the major palaeognath lineages using 27 nuclear genes and 27 archaic retroposon insertions. We show that rheas are sister to the kiwis, emu and cassowaries, and confirm ratite paraphyly because tinamous are sister to moas. Divergence dating using 10 genes with broader taxon sampling, including emu, cassowary, ostrich, five kiwis, two rheas, three tinamous, three extinct moas and 15 neognath lineages, suggests that three vicariant events and possibly two dispersals are required to explain their historical biogeography. The age of crown group birds was estimated at 131 Ma (95% highest posterior density 122–138 Ma), similar to previous molecular estimates. Problems associated with gene tree discordance and incomplete lineage sorting in birds will require much larger gene sets to increase species tree accuracy and improve error in divergence times. The relatively rapid branching within neoaves pre-dates the extinction of dinosaurs, suggesting that the genesis of the radiation within this diverse clade of birds was not in response to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.     

The primary structure of a novel goose-type lysozyme from rhea egg white

G-type lysozyme is a hydrolytic enzyme sharing a similar tertiary structure with plant chitinase. To discover the relation of function and structure, we analyzed the primary structure of new G-type lysozyme. The complete 185 amino acid residues of lysozyme from rhea egg white were sequenced using the peptides hydrolyzed by trypsin, V8 protease, and cyanogen bromide. Rhea lysozyme had sequence similarity to ostrich, cassowary, goose, and black swan, with 93%, 90%, 83%, and 82%, respectively. The six substituted positions were newly found at positions 3 (Asn), 9 (Ser), 43 (Arg), 114 (Ile), 127 (Met), and 129 (Arg) when compared with ostrich, cassowary, goose, and black swan lysozymes. The amino acid substitutions of rhea lysozyme at subsite B were the same as ostrich and cassowary lysozymes (Ser122 and Met123). This study was also constructed in a phylogenetic tree of G-type lysozyme that can be classified into at least three groups of this enzyme, namely, group 1; rhea, ostrich, and cassowary, group 2; goose, black swan, and chicken, and group 3; Japanese flounder. The amino acid sequences in assembled three alpha-helices found in this enzyme group (Thammasirirak, S., Torikata, T., Takami, K., Murata, K., and Araki, T., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 66, 147-156 (2002)) were also highly conserved, so that they were considered to be important for the formation of the hydrophobic core structure of the catalytic site and for maintaining a similar three-dimensional structure in this enzyme group.     

Shivering onset, metabolic response, and convective heat transfer during cold air exposure

The onset and intensity of shivering of various muscles during cold air exposure are quantified and related to increases in metabolic rate and convective heat loss. Thirteen male subjects resting in a supine position and wearing only shorts were exposed to 10 degrees C air (42% relative humidity and less than 0.4 m/s airflow) for 2 h. Measurements included surface electromyogram recordings at six muscle sites representing the trunk and limb regions of one side of the body, temperatures and heat fluxes at the same contralateral sites, and metabolic rate. The subjects were grouped according to lean (LEAN, n = 6) and average body fat (NORM, n = 7) content. While the rectal temperatures fluctuated slightly but not significantly during exposure, the skin temperature decreased greatly, more at the limb sites than at the trunk sites. Muscles of the trunk region began to shiver sooner and at a higher intensity than those of the limbs. The intensity of shivering and its increase over time of exposure were consistent with the increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient calculated from skin temperatures and heat fluxes. Both the onset of shivering and the magnitude of the increase in metabolic rate due to shivering were higher for the LEAN group than for the NORM group. A regression analysis indicates that, for a given decrease in mean skin temperature, the increase in metabolic rate due to shivering is attenuated by the square root of percent body fat. Thus the LEAN group shivered at higher intensity, resulting in higher increases in metabolic heat production and convective heat loss during cold air exposure than did the NORM group.     

Estimating metabolic heat loss in birds and mammals by combining infrared thermography with biophysical modelling

Infrared thermography (IRT) is a technique that determines surface temperature based on physical laws of radiative transfer. Thermal imaging cameras have been used since the 1960s to determine the surface temperature patterns of a wide range of birds and mammals and how species regulate their surface temperature in response to different environmental conditions. As a large proportion of metabolic energy is transferred from the body to the environment as heat, biophysical models have been formulated to determine metabolic heat loss. These models are based on heat transfer equations for radiation, convection, conduction and evaporation and therefore surface temperature recorded by IRT can be used to calculate heat loss from different body regions. This approach has successfully demonstrated that in birds and mammals heat loss is regulated from poorly insulated regions of the body which are seen to be thermal windows for the dissipation of body heat. Rather than absolute measurement of metabolic heat loss, IRT and biophysical models have been most useful in estimating the relative heat loss from different body regions. Further calibration studies will improve the accuracy of models but the strength of this approach is that it is a non-invasive method of measuring the relative energy cost of an animal in response to different environments, behaviours and physiological states. It is likely that the increasing availability and portability of thermal imaging systems will lead to many new insights into the thermal physiology of endotherms.     

Biophysical and morphological leaf adaptations to drought and salinity in salt marsh grasses

Leaf energy budgets were constructed for 13 species of estuarine C₄ grasses (Poaceae) to elucidate the biophysical effects of drought and salinity on the interception and dissipation of solar energy. Spartina alterniflora, S. anglica, S. argentinensis, S. bakeri, S. cynosuroides, S. densiflora, S. foliosa, S. foliosa × S. alterniflora hybrids, S. gracilis, S. patens, S. pectinata, S. spartinae, and Distichlis spicata plants were grown under controlled soil water potential gradients in a greenhouse. Species were grouped into four major ecological functional types, based on elevational zonation ranges: low marsh species, middle marsh species, high marsh species, and freshwater species. Different functional types are adapted to different environmental conditions, and responded differently to reduced water potentials. Latent heat flux decreased similarly across species in response to decreasing water potential. Latent heat loss was found to decrease by as much as 65% under decreasing water potential, leading to an increase in leaf temperature of up to 4 °C. Consequently, radiative and sensible heat losses increased under decreasing water potential. Sensible heat flux increased as much as 336% under decreasing water potential. Latent heat loss appeared to be an important mode of temperature regulation in all species, and sensible heat loss appeared to be more important in high marsh species compared to low marsh species. High marsh species are characterized by narrower leaves than middle and low marsh species, leading to a smaller boundary layer, and providing higher conductance to sensible heat loss. This may be an adaptation for high marsh species to regulate leaf temperature without access to large amounts of water for transpirational cooling. Stomatal conductance decreased with decreasing water potential across species: leaf conductances to water vapor and CO₂ decreased as much as 69% under decreasing water potential. Additionally, oxidative stress appeared to increase in these plants during times of drought or salinity stress. Ascorbate peroxidase activities increased with decreasing soil water potential, indicating increased cellular reactive oxygen species. High marsh species had higher ascorbate peroxidase activities compared to low marsh species, indicating higher tolerance to drought- or salinity-induced stresses. It was concluded that different species of marsh grasses are adapted for growth in different zones of salt marshes. Adaptations include biophysical, biochemical, and morphological traits that optimize heat exchange with the environment.     

Comparative morphology,morphometry and distribution pattern of the trigeminal nerve branches supplying the bill tip in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

The subdivisions of the trigeminal nerve (N. ophthalmicus R. medialis and N. intramandibularis) innervating the upper and lower bill tip, respectively, were well developed in both the ostrich and emu and displayed extensive branching. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that both nerves displayed features typical of a mixed, peripheral nerve. Nerve fibre size in the ostrich and emu was larger than that reported in domestic poultry. There were a significantly higher number of myelinated nerve fibres in the N. ophthalmicus R. medialis in the emu by comparison with the same nerve in the ostrich, or by comparison with the N. intramandibularis of either species. As myelinated nerve fibres supply Herbst corpuscles, and these structures have been demonstrated in this region in these two species, this may indicate that the upper bill of the emu is more sensitive to vibrational stimuli than the upper bill of the ostrich or the lower bill of both species. The large size of the nerve fibres, the high nerve fibre count and the particular distribution of the nerves in the bill tip support the existence of a well‐developed sensory area in this region of the ostrich and emu.     

Thermoregulatory responses and blood viscosity in dehydrated heat-exposed broilers (Gallus domesticus)

This study was to elucidate thermoregulation in dehydrated heat-exposed broilers. When broilers were dehydrated, heat production (HP), comb surface temperature (Tcs) and respiration rate (RR) decreased significantly. Conversely, rectal (Tr) and back skin (Tbs) temperatures, whole blood viscosity (WBV), haematocrit (HCT), plasma protein concentration (PPC) and plasma osmolality (PO) increased. During heat exposure, HP, WBV, HCT and PPC decreased significantly, while Tr, Tcs, Tbs and RR increased. The onset of panting against rectal temperature was delayed in dehydrated birds. These results suggest that dehydration leads to a lower blood volume, resulting in a decrease in blood flow to heat exchange organs and surfaces in broilers. This induces a lower sensible heat loss from extremities, a lower evaporative heat loss and a higher sensible heat loss from trunk, subsequent to regulate their body temperature at a higher level of deep body temperature.     

The combined effects of ambient temperature and enforced sustained swimming activity on body temperatures of arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.)

1. 1.|The difference between tissue temperatures and ambient water temperatures (ΔT) of the ectothermic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) ranged between 0.2 and 0.6°C.

2. 2.|For fish held at 5.7°C there were no significant differences in ΔT of exercising fish and those of controls.

3. 3.|By contrast, for fish held at 1.7°C sustained exercise led to a significant increase in ΔT of all body compartments compared with fish held in standing water (controls).

4. 4.|It is suggested that Arctic charr are capable of a limited control of metabolic heat exchange between body compartments and surrounding water when subjected to sustained exercise and ambient temperatures <2°C.

The importance of microhabitat in thermoregulation and thermal conductance in two namib rodents—a crevice dweller, Aethomys namaquensis, and a burrow dweller, Gerbillurus paeba

1. 1.|Thermoregulatory measurements of two Nambi rodents; Gerbillurus paeba, a burrow dweller, and Aethomys namaquensis, a crevice dweller were compared. Both were similar to other small arid-adapted rodents in that basal metabolic rates were reduced, thermoneutral zones narrow and evaporative water losses low. Rates of conductance and thermal lability, however, at ambient temperatures (T_a) below thermoneutral zone, were significantly different (P 0.01).

2. 2.|The rock rat A. namaquensis, living in a microclimate characterized by a large diel range and low humidities, compensates for a reduced basal metabolic rate by having a low rate of conductance. In this way it maintains precise thermoregulatory control. G. paeba, on the other hand, living in a thermally-stable milieu, does not control body temperature precisely. This animal instead utilizes a high rate of conductance to remove metabolic heat produced within the body. This would be advantageous to an animal living in a plugged burrow where the high humidities encountered impede the rate of evaporative cooling.

3. 3.|The energetic responses of both species, above the thermoneutral zone, appear to reflect very closely the environmental conditions which occur in the microhabitat that they rest in during the day. G. paeba shows less tolerance to temperature fluctuations than A. namaquensis, but shows more marked increases in short-term cooling mechanisms at high T_as.

4. 4.|Despite the increased use of evaporative cooling through salivation and panting in addition to pulmocutaneous evaporation, exposure to T_as above 38°C is rapidly lethal to G. paeba.

One for all and all for one: the energetic benefits of huddling in endotherms

Huddling can be defined as “an active and close aggregation of animals”. It is a cooperative group behaviour, permitting individuals involved in social thermoregulation to minimize heat loss and thereby lower their energy expenditure, and possibly allowing them to reallocate the saved energy to other functions such as growth or reproduction. Huddling is especially important in the case of animals faced with high heat loss due to a high surface‐to‐volume ratio, poor insulation, or living in cold environments. Although numerous experimental studies have focused on the huddling behaviour of a wide range of species, to our knowledge, this is the first attempt to review the various implications of this widely used behavioural strategy. Huddling allows individuals to maximise energy savings by (1) decreasing their cold‐exposed body surface area, (2) reducing their heat loss through warming of ambient temperatures surrounding the group, and (3) eventually lowering their body temperature through physiological processes. Huddling provides substantial energy savings and is estimated to reduce energy expenditure by between 6 and 53%. Broad variations in the energetic benefits of huddling depend on the number of individuals and species involved in huddles, the ambient temperatures to which individuals are exposed and the density of the aggregations. It has been shown that huddling individuals have increased survival, a lower food intake, a decreased body mass loss, increased growth rate, reduced water loss, and/or a more constant body temperature together with a significant reduction in metabolic rate. Though huddling has been studied widely, this review reveals the intricacies of this adaptive behaviour.     

Incubation temperature in the Australasian Gannet Moms senator

Gannets (Sulidae) and some other pelecaniforms incubate their eggs under the webs of their totipalmate feet. These species have a wide latitudinal distribution from tropics to subarctic, but little is known of the incubation temperatures attained. I measured egg temperatures of the Australasian Gannet Morns serrator at Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand, employing a data logger to obtain records every 15 min for day-long sample periods at undisturbed nests. Egg surface temperatures were relatively stable and little affected by ambient temperature. Mean surface temperature of natural eggs was 34.9^oC for samples taken during the first 4 days of incubation, but this then increased and stabilized at 36.5^oC. Internal temperature of pipped eggs was about 1^oC higher, attributable to embryonic heat production. Upper surface temperature of eggs kept in a fixed position was about 2^oC below deep adult body temperature (40.3^oC), suggesting heat is transferred directly from the body through the feet. Clutch size does not appear to be limited by an inability to warm two eggs. These results are in general agreement with measurements from other web incubators and are well within the range for species with conventional brood patch incubation.     

温度与聚群对三种仔兽热能代谢的影响

仔兽出生以前,是在相对稳定而安全的母兽子宫内生活的,出生以后,仔兽的营养条件与环境温度即起了根本的变化。新生仔兽是如何适应新环境的?仔兽在新环境中的生活能力怎样?环境温度与食物条件对新生仔兽的存活率、生长与发育的影响如何?环境温度和聚群行为与能量代谢的关系怎样?这是一系列的基础理论问题,尤其是毛皮动物饲养业所关心的实际问题。     

New morphological evidence supports congruent phylogenies and Gondwana vicariance for palaeognathous birds

There has been little agreement on the phylogeny of palaeognathous birds, with major differences amongst and between results from morphological and molecular data. Two recently published phylogenies using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA have substantial agreement in overall topology, with the ostrich as sister group of all other extant palaeognaths and a kiwi‐emu‐cassowary clade. Here I report a morphological phylogeny based mainly on new characters from the tongue apparatus and cranial osteology, with a theoretical ancestor as outgroup. A new interpretation of the evolution of the avian palate is included. This phylogeny is very similar to these recent molecular results; this is the first report of such congruence, and offers a credible basis for understanding the evolution of this clade. This phylogeny is fully consistent with a Gondwana vicariance model of evolution. Dates attributed from known geological events place the first extant radiation (ostrich) in the mid‐Cretaceous, and offer a means of calibration of future molecular clock investigations. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 959–983.     

An infrared thermographic study of surface temperature in relation to external thermal stress in the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

1. Temperatures of different body surface regions and deep body temperature (Tb) of unrestrained adult Mongolia gerbils exposed to ambient temperatures (Ta) of -10-35 degrees C were measured using infrared (i.r.) thermography and a thermocouple. 2. A strong positive linear relationship between the surface temperature and Ta was found. For Ta range -4-35 degrees C, the slope was lowest for the areas around the eyes and dorsal head, and steepest for the body extremities. At -10 degrees C, surface temperatures of the areas around the eyes and dorsal head were significantly lower then predicted. 3. Tb was lowest at Ta of 25 and 30 degrees C, increased at all temperatures above and up to Ta of -4 degrees C below this range, and began decline at -10 degrees C. 4. The thermoneutral zone (TNZ) is probably between 28 and 32 degrees C, and the absolute lower critical temperature (Tabsl) is probably -4 degrees C. 5. The Mongolian gerbil shows little control of surface temperature and in contrast to larger mammals it has not developed any special thermoregulatory surface areas to regulate heat exchange with its environment. At temperatures below -4 degrees C, this species is unable to maintain the surface temperature of body extremities above the freezing point. 6. It is suggested that the Mongolian gerbil uses mainly behavioral and ecological adaptive strategies to attenuate the stressful effects of its habitat.