Water and energy balance of the thorny devil Moloch horridus: is the devil a sloth?

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Bradshaw ◽  
P.C. Withers
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Energy Turnover ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Devil ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Semi Arid

AbstractRates of turnover of water, energy and sodium were measured for free-ranging thorny devils (Moloch horridus), which are myrmecophagous agamid lizards, in a semi-arid Western Australian habitat. There were significant differences in body water content and water turnover rate (WTR) measurements for cool, wet, average and hot periods, although the field metabolic rate (FMR) and sodium turnover (NaTR) rate did not differ significantly between weather conditions. The thorny devil had a substantially lower field WTR during dry periods (10-15 ml kg-1 d-1) than expected for semi-arid and arid lizards, although the WTR was higher in wet conditions (30-35 ml kg-1 d-1). The field metabolic rate of thorny devils (0.134 ml CO2 g-1 h-1) was only slightly less than that expected for a semi-arid/lizard (0.178 ml CO2 g-1 h-1), despite the apparently slothful nature of the thorny devil. The sodium turnover rate of the thorny devil (1.5-2.5 mmol kg-1 d-1) was within the range reported for other semi-arid/arid lizards. The field metabolic rate of the thorny devils suggests that they consume about 750 ants per day. The ratio of water to energy turnover measured for thorny devils in the field (0.11 ml H2O kj-1) was the same as that predicted from the composition of ants and their digestibility by thorny devils (0.11 ml H2O kj-1). However, the ratios of sodium-to-energy turnover (30 μmol Na+ kj-1) and sodium-to-water turnover (277 μmol ml H2O-1) were substantially higher than expected ratios (10 and 89 respectively).

Comparative daily energy expenditure and water turnover by Dorper and Merino sheep measured using doubly labelled water

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Munn ◽  
Yohannes Alemseged ◽  
Catharina Vendl ◽  
Mathew Stewart ◽  
Keith Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Doubly Labelled Water ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Grazing Impacts ◽  
Small Holding ◽  
Meat Sheep ◽  
Breed Sheep

Details of the energy (food) requirements of domestic herbivores are essential for predicting grazing pressures and subsequent ecological impacts on rangelands. However, these details are lacking for some of the more recently introduced sheep breeds to Australia, such as the Dorper breed sheep, which are principally meat sheep, and it is uncertain how they compare with the traditional Merino, a wool-breed, sheep. We used the doubly labelled water method to compare the field metabolic rate and water turnover rate of Dorpers and Merinos grazing together in a small holding paddock in a typical rangeland environment. We found no significant differences in field metabolic rate (Dorpers 481 ± 125 kJ and Merinos 500 ± 109 kJ kg–0.73 day–1) or water turnover rate (Dorpers 397 ± 57 mL and Merinos 428 ± 50 mL kg–0.8 day–1). As such we conclude that under controlled conditions with limited movement and ready access to feed and water, dry sheep equivalent of 1 is appropriate for Dorpers (that is, one Dorper ewe had a grazing requirement equal to one standard, dry Merino wether). However, we also found that the field metabolic rate for Merinos under these conditions was only around half that measured in published studies for animals ranging freely in a large paddock system. This suggests that more work is needed to fully appreciate the energetic and grazing impacts of Dorpers versus Merinos under more realistic grazing conditions (e.g. large paddock systems) where feed and water are more spread. It also highlights limitations of the current dry sheep equivalent rating system, which has been derived from laboratory measures of sheep metabolic rates.

Field metabolic rate and water turnover of red kangaroos and sheep in an arid rangeland: an empirically derived dry-sheep-equivalent for kangaroos

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Munn ◽  
T. J. Dawson ◽  
S. R. McLeod ◽  
D. B. Croft ◽  
M. B. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Ovis Aries ◽  
Domestic Sheep ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Red Kangaroo ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
Comparative Measure

Sustainable management of pastures requires detailed knowledge of total grazing pressure, but this information is critically lacking in Australia’s rangelands where livestock co-occur with large herbivorous marsupials. We present the first comparative measure of the field metabolic rate (an index of food requirement) of Australia’s largest marsupial, the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), with that of domestic sheep (Ovis aries; merino breed). We tested the assumption that the grazing pressure of red kangaroos is equivalent to 0.7 sheep, and show this to be a two-fold overestimation of their contribution to total grazing. Moreover, kangaroos had extraordinarily lower rates of water turnover, being only 13% that of sheep. Consequently, our data support arguments that the removal of kangaroos may not markedly improve rangeland capacity for domestic stock. Furthermore, given the low resource requirements of kangaroos, their use in consumptive and non-consumptive enterprises can provide additional benefits for Australia’s rangelands than may occur under traditional rangeland practices.

Field metabolic rate and body water turnover of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia

Mammal Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROY K. WINSTANLEY ◽  
WILLIAM A. BUTTEMER ◽  
GLEN SAUNDERS
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Body Water ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate

scholarly journals The Field Metabolic Rate, Water Turnover, and Feeding and Drinking Behavior of a Small Avian Desert Granivore During a Summer Heatwave

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Elizabeth Cooper ◽  
Philip Carew Withers ◽  
Laura Leilani Hurley ◽  
Simon Charles Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate

The Water and Electrolyte Metabolism of Free-Ranging and Captive White-Browed Scrubwrens, Sericornis-Frontalis (Acanthizidae), From Arid, Semi-Arid and Mesic Environments

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJ Ambrose ◽  
SD Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Intake ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Dietary Sodium ◽  
Sodium Balance ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Shark Bay ◽  
Ecological Implications ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Semi Arid

Seasonal variations in water and sodium turnover of resident populations of free-ranging Sericornis frontalis were measured at three sites in Western Australia ranging from arid, through semi-arid to mesic environments. Scrubwrens at all three sites maintained water and sodium balance despite the wide variation in environment. During winter at semi-arid Eyre, however, scrubwrens had a greatly increased dietary sodium intake resulting from the deposition of airborne oceanic salt over the coastal dunes. Scrubwrens at arid Hamelin had significantly lower water turnover rates (e.g. 1.3 ml 10 g-'d-') than those at Eyre and mesic Rockingham during hot, dry periods. The highest rates of water turnover were recorded at Rockingham during wet winters. We discuss the ecological implications of these results. In laboratory studies, scrubwrens from arid regions consumed NaCl solutions of up to 0.8 mol l-', compared with a maximum of only 0.6 ml l-' by scrubwrens from semi-arid and mesic regions. Shark Bay scrubwrens also had a much greater renal-concentrating ability which may be partially accounted for by the larger proportion of medullary tissue in the kidneys of these birds.

Field metabolic rate and water turnover of the numbat ( Myrmecobius fasciatus )

2003 ◽  
Vol 173 (8) ◽  
pp. 687-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Cooper ◽  
P. C. Withers ◽  
S. D. Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate

Field and Laboratory Studies of Water Metabolism in Sminthopsis Crassicaudata (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae).

1980 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
SR Morton
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Body Water ◽  
High Water Content ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Water Metabolism ◽  
Water Turnover

S. crassicaudata is a small insectivorous marsupial which inhabits xeric to mesic habitats in southern Australia. Field and laboratory studies of the water metabolism of this species were carried out to determine the extent to which physiological adaptations contribute to its ability to inhabit arid environments. S. crassicaudata can subsist without drinking water when fed a diet of insects; this independence is made possible primarily by the high water content of the food, and not by physiological restriction of the rate of water usage as in many granivorous desert-dwelling rodents. Mean daily water turnover rates in the laboratory were 50-75% body water, and in the field were 110-190% body water. These high rates are interpreted in terms of lack of selection for water conservation in an animal subsisting on a moist diet; in such animals water turnover rate primarily reflects metabolic rate. These conclusions were supported by comparative studies of the water and energy metabolism of Planigale maculata. This species withstood water deprivation better than did S. crassicaudata, even though it inhabits much wetter environments; this was almost certainly due to its lower metabolic rate and, therefore, lower water turnover rate. These studies suggest that use of insect food by a desert-dwelling small mammal virtually removes the physiological problem of water conservation.

Field metabolic rate of wild turkeys in winter

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 1075-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
R N Coup ◽  
P J Pekins
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Meleagris Gallopavo ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Doubly Labeled Water ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Wild Turkeys ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Activity Costs

We investigated the winter bioenergetics of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris) by measuring standard metabolic rate (SMR) and existence metabolism (EM) of captive turkeys and field metabolic rate (FMR) of free-ranging turkeys. Mean SMR and EM were 0.511 ± 0.040 mL O2·g-1·h-1 and 499.7 ± 17.7 kJ·kg body mass-0.734·d-1 (mean ± SE) as measured by indirect respirometry and food consumption, respectively. FMR was measured with doubly labeled water and was 10.5% higher in juvenile (0.976 ± 0.039 L CO2·kg-0.734·h-1) than adult turkeys (0.883 ± 0.034 L CO2·kg-0.734·h-1); their FMR:SMR ratios were 1.74 and 1.58, respectively. Juvenile turkeys weighed less and had less body fat (13.5%) than adults (18.9%). Mean FMR was lowest in 1996, when ground forage was unavailable and weather was more windy and cold than in 1995, when ground forage was available and the turkeys' activity and range were greater. Turkeys reduced FMR in 1996 by restricting movement and range, and using proximate shelter and supplemental food. We predict that juvenile turkeys are at an energetic disadvantage when food availability is restricted because of their higher FMR, lower body and fat masses, and higher activity costs than adults.

Field metabolic rate of blue grouse during winter

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Pekins ◽  
James A. Gessaman ◽  
Frederick G. Lindzey
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Production ◽  
Positive Energy ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Dendragapus Obscurus ◽  
Energetic Constraint ◽  
Positive Energy Balance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Reduced Activity

We measured the field metabolic rate (FMR) of seven free-ranging and two captive blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) with doubly labeled water. Average carbon dioxide production (1.016 ± 0.088 L CO2∙kg−0.734∙h−1) of free-ranging grouse was 8% higher but not significantly different (P < 0.05) from captive grouse (0.944 ± 0.058 L CO2∙kg−0.734∙h−1). Ambient temperature was not correlated with FMR (P = 0.268). The mean fat content of free-ranging blue grouse was 39 g (3.4%), which was equal to the energy equivalent of about 3× daily standard metabolie rate (SMR). The FMR of free-ranging grouse averaged 657 ± 62 kJ/d or 1.6 × SMR. The FMRs of free-ranging blue grouse averaged about 25% below FMRs predicted from allometric equations; most were 35–40% below those predicted. We suggest that there is little energetic constraint on blue grouse during winter because they are able to maintain a positive energy balance by minimizing energy costs through effective thermoregulation, microhabitat selection, and reduced activity.

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