Heart rate and energetics of free-ranging king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

Heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and renal and mesenteric or femoral blood flow were telemetered from 11 Papio hamadryas in an untethered free-ranging situation. The animals' behavior was recorded on videotape, and the cardiovascular (CV) data were recorded on the audio channels of the tape. The behavior was coded, and the codes were linked to the CV data via a time-code generator and computer control. The CV data were digitized into 1-s intervals, and the static relations between CV measures and the postures/locomotions (P/Ls) associated with the behavior were analyzed. The total frequency distributions for heart rate, blood pressure, and renal conductance approximated Gaussian distributions, whereas femoral conductance was positively skewed. The distribution for renal conductance suggested that during normal waking conditions the kidney is not maximally dilated and may increase or decrease its blood flow. All distributions were highly influenced by the Sit category, which occupied 80% of the total time. The CV measures for all P/Ls had wide ranges, and the CV values associated with each P/L overlapped those for the other P/Ls. The heart rate and renal conductance associated with the various P/Ls showed the largest deviations from the grand means and therefore contributed the most to the ability to discriminate one P/L from another. Blood pressure varied little from one P/L to another. The patterns of CV variables served to distinguish particular P/Ls very effectively. The frequency distributions were separated best when they were parceled on the basis of the intensity of behavior associated with a particular P/L. These variations in intensity were the major cause of the overlaps in the frequency distributions associated with P/Ls.

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Free-ranging heart rate, body temperature and energy metabolism in eastern grey kangaroos ( Macropus giganteus ) and red kangaroos ( Macropus rufus ) in the arid regions of South East Australia

Journal of Comparative Physiology B ◽

10.1007/s003600100189 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 171 (5) ◽

pp. 401-411 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

McCarron H. ◽

Buffenstein R. ◽

Fanning F. ◽

Dawson T.

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Energy Metabolism ◽

Body Temperature ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Macropus Rufus ◽

The Arid Regions ◽

Free Ranging

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Physiological implications of pair-bond status in greylag geese

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2011.0917 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 347-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Claudia A. F. Wascher ◽

Brigitte M. Weiß ◽

Walter Arnold ◽

Kurt Kotrschal

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Energy Expenditure ◽

Group Living ◽

Decisive Role ◽

Pair Bond ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Anser Anser ◽

The Social ◽

Greylag Geese ◽

Free Ranging

In group-living vertebrates, reliable social allies play a decisive role in dealing with stressors. For example, support by social allies is known to dampen glucocorticoid responses. It remains unknown, however, how social embedding affects the sympatho-adrenergic axis as indicated by heart rate (HR) in non-human animals. We studied the relationships between HR, pair-bond status and distance from the pair-partner in twenty-five free-ranging greylag geese ( Anser anser ) in a natural social environment. In three individuals, we investigated HR responses following partner loss. Overall, we found a context- and sex-dependent difference in HR between paired and unpaired individuals, paired males having a lower HR during agonistic encounters, and unpaired females having a lower HR during resting. Also, in paired females HR increased with increasing distance from the partner. Our data suggest that HR is modulated by pair-bond status in greylag geese in a context- and sex-dependent manner, which may be representative for social vertebrates in general. Despite the low sample size, the present study indicates that proper social embedding may optimize an individual's physiological investment in the social domain. This reduces individual energy expenditure and may benefit health and reproductive success.

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Heart rates and abdominal temperatures of free-ranging South Georgian shags, Phalacrocorax georgianus

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.200.4.661 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 200 (4) ◽

pp. 661-675 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

R M Bevan ◽

I L Boyd ◽

P J Butler ◽

K Reid ◽

A J Woakes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Dive Depth ◽

Dive Duration ◽

Diving Behaviour ◽

The South ◽

Data Logger ◽

Heart Rates ◽

The Mean ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Mean Heart Rate

The South Georgian shag (Phalacrocorax georgianus) shows a remarkable diving ability comparable to that of penguins, yet nothing is known of the physiology of these birds. In this study, heart rates and abdominal temperatures were recorded continuously in four free-ranging South Georgian shags using an implanted data-logger. A timedepth recorder was also attached to the back of the implanted birds to record their diving behaviour. The diving behaviour of the birds was essentially similar to that reported in other studies, with maximum dive durations for individual birds ranging between 140 and 287 s, and maximum depths between 35 and 101 m. The birds, while at the nest, had a heart rate of 104.0±13.1 beats min-1 (mean ± s.e.m.) and an abdominal temperature of 39.1±0.2 °C. During flights of 221±29 s, heart rate and abdominal temperature rose to 309.5±18.0 beats min-1 and 40.1±0.3 °C, respectively. The mean heart rate during diving, at 103.7±13.7 beats min-1, was not significantly different from the resting values, but the minimum heart rate during a dive was significantly lower at 64.8±5.8 beats min-1. The minimum heart rate during a dive was negatively correlated with both dive duration and dive depth. Abdominal temperature fell progressively during a diving bout, with a mean temperature at the end of a bout of 35.1±1.7 °C. The minimum heart rate during diving is at a sub-resting level, which suggests that the South Georgian shag responds to submersion with the 'classic' dive response of bradycardia and the associated peripheral vasoconstriction and utilisation of anaerobic metabolism. However, the reduction in abdominal temperature may reflect a reduction in the overall metabolic rate of the animal such that the bird can remain aerobic while submerged.

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Anaesthesia of gemsbok (Oryx gazella) with a combination of A3080, medetomidine and ketamine

Journal of the South African Veterinary Association ◽

10.4102/jsava.v72i2.622 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

D. Grobler ◽

M. Bush ◽

D. Jessup ◽

W. Lance

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Respiration Rate ◽

Induction Time ◽

Muscle Relaxation ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Adequate Oxygenation

An effective anaesthesia protocol was developed for adult free-ranging gemsbok (Oryx gazella) using a combination of A3080, medetomidine and ketamine. Ashort induction time; good muscle relaxation, adequate oxygenation and stable heart rate and respiration rate characterised this anaesthetic regime. Equal doses of A3080 and medetomidine (22-45 Âµg/kg) plus 200 mg of ketamine were administered to each animal. The anaesthesia was rapidly and completely reversed by intramuscular naltrexone at a dose of X = 0.9 Â± 0.2 mg/kg and atipamezole at a dose XÂ±90 Â±20 Âµg/kg. No mortality or morbidity occurred with this protocol.

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A songbird adjusts its heart rate and body temperature in response to season and fluctuating daily conditions

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2020.0213 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 376 (1830) ◽

pp. 20200213 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nils Linek ◽

Tamara Volkmer ◽

J. Ryan Shipley ◽

Cornelia W. Twining ◽

Daniel Zúñiga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Body Temperature ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Field Studies ◽

Weather Extremes ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

In The Wild ◽

Radio Transmitters ◽

Save Energy ◽

Free Ranging

In a seasonal world, organisms are continuously adjusting physiological processes relative to local environmental conditions. Owing to their limited heat and fat storage capacities, small animals, such as songbirds, must rapidly modulate their metabolism in response to weather extremes and changing seasons to ensure survival. As a consequence of previous technical limitations, most of our existing knowledge about how animals respond to changing environmental conditions comes from laboratory studies or field studies over short temporal scales. Here, we expanded beyond previous studies by outfitting 71 free-ranging Eurasian blackbirds ( Turdus merula ) with novel heart rate and body temperature loggers coupled with radio transmitters, and followed individuals in the wild from autumn to spring. Across seasons, blackbirds thermoconformed at night, i.e. their body temperature decreased with decreasing ambient temperature, but not so during daytime. By contrast, during all seasons blackbirds increased their heart rate when ambient temperatures became colder. However, the temperature setpoint at which heart rate was increased differed between seasons and between day and night. In our study, blackbirds showed an overall seasonal reduction in mean heart rate of 108 beats min −1 (21%) as well as a 1.2°C decrease in nighttime body temperature. Episodes of hypometabolism during cold periods likely allow the birds to save energy and, thus, help offset the increased energetic costs during the winter when also confronted with lower resource availability. Our data highlight that, similar to larger non-hibernating mammals and birds, small passerine birds such as Eurasian blackbirds not only adjust their heart rate and body temperature on daily timescales, but also exhibit pronounced seasonal changes in both that are modulated by local environmental conditions such as temperature. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)’.

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The heart rate/oxygen consumption relationship during cold exposure of the king penguin: a comparison with that during exercise

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.205.16.2511 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 205 (16) ◽

pp. 2511-2517 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

G. Froget ◽

Y. Handrich ◽

Y. Le Maho ◽

J.-L. Rouanet ◽

A. J. Woakes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Critical Temperature ◽

Body Condition ◽

Heart Beat ◽

Lower Critical Temperature ◽

Rate Of Oxygen Consumption ◽

Free Ranging ◽

The Relationship ◽

Environmental Temperatures

SUMMARY This study investigated whether exposure to low ambient temperature could be used as an alternative to exercise for calibrating heart rate (fH)against rate of oxygen consumption(V̇O2) for subsequent use of fH to estimate V̇O2 in free-ranging animals. Using the relationship between the oxygen pulse (OP, the amount of oxygen used per heart beat) and an index of body condition (or nutritional index, NI), a relationship between fH and V̇O2 was established for resting king penguins exposed to a variety of environmental temperatures. Although there was a small but significant increase in the OP above and below the lower critical temperature (-4.9°C), there was no difference in the relationship obtained between the OP and body condition (NI)obtained above or below the lower critical temperature. These results were then compared with those obtained in a previous study in which the relationship between fH and V̇O2 had been established for king penguins during steady-state exercise. The relationship between OP and NI in the present study was not significantly different from the relationship between resting OP and NI in the previous study. However, the relationship was different from that between active OP and NI. We conclude that, at least for king penguins, although thermoregulation does not affect the relationship between resting OP and NI, temperature cannot be used as an alternative to exercise for calibrating fH against V̇O2 for subsequent use of fH to estimate V̇O2 in free-ranging animals.

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A healthy, premoult adult king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) with a markedly twisted beak

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247417000559 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 53 (6) ◽

pp. 631-632

Author(s):

Alexandre Corbeau ◽

Charles-André Bost

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

King Penguin ◽

Air Breathing ◽

Aptenodytes Patagonicus ◽

Feeding Efficiency ◽

Good Body Condition ◽

Feeding Methods ◽

Free Ranging

In seabirds, diet and feeding methods are related to the species morphology (Croxall, Evans, & Schreiber, 1984). Species that feed on living, mobile resources rely on a fully operational beak to efficiently seize, kill and swallow their prey. This is particularly important to diving species, such as penguins, that are highly time constrained when searching for prey at depth—as air-breathing predators, penguins must maximise their feeding efficiency during their deep foraging dives (Wilson & Wilson, 1990). This is why the observation of free-ranging penguins with physical abnormalities in good body condition is so rare. Here we report a highly unusual observation of a premoult adult king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus Miller) in good body condition with a highly anomalous beak.

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