Oxygen Consumption of Moths During Rest, Pre-Flight Warm-Up, and Flight In Relation to Body Size and Wing Morphology

Morphometrics and oxygen consumption were studied in about 35 sphingids, 50 saturniids, and 20 other heterothermic moths belonging to various families. For the pooled data of all species the regression of oxygen consumption on mass in grams is described by the following equations: at rest, cm3/h = 0.402 g0.775; during hovering flight, cm3/h = 59.430.818; during warm-up, cm3 = 1.186 g0.898. Similar equations are presented for the families Saturniidae and Sphingidae. In sphingids and saturniids thoracic mass, wing length, and wing area increased with body mass, whereas wing loading and aspect ratio were independent of body mass. The sphingids had higher wing loading, aspect ratio, and wing beat frequency during flight than the saturniids. Wing beat frequency was more tightly coupled to morphological parameters in sphingids than in saturniids. The allometry of resting and active aerobic metabolism in heterothermic moths is compared with that of reptiles, mammals and birds. The scaling of oxygen consumption during flight in the moths is almost identical to that of bats and birds.

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Respiratory Exchange and Evaporative Water Loss in the Flying Budgerigar

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.48.1.67 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 67-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

VANCE A. TUCKER

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Respiratory Rate ◽

Water Loss ◽

Beat Frequency ◽

Evaporative Water Loss ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Evaporative Water ◽

Wing Beat Frequency ◽

Level Flight

1. Oxygen consumption of 2 budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) was measured during level, ascending and descending nights lasting 5-20 min. in a wind-tunnel at speeds between 19 and 48 km./hr. In level flight oxygen consumption was lowest at 35 km./hr. with a mean value of 21.9 ml. (g. hr.)-1 or 12.8 times the standard value calculated for these birds (weight = 35 g.). At a given speed oxygen consumption was highest for ascending flight and lowest for descending flight. 2. Carbon dioxide production was measured on one bird flying level at 35 km./hr.for 20 min. The ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen consumption was 0.780, indicating that the bird was oxidizing primarily fat. 3. The efficiencies of level, ascending and descending flight are discussed. The measurements indicate that for the budgerigar 42 km./hr. is the most economical speed for covering distance, and below 27 km./hr. undulating flight is more economical than flight at a constant altitude. 4. Evaporative water loss in level flight was measured in two birds for 20 min. at 35 km./hr. at temperatures of 18-200 and 29-31° C. At 36-37° C. the birds became overheated and would not fly for as long as 20 min. Evaporative water loss at 18-20° C. was 20.4 mg. (g. hr.)-1. It increased to 63.9 mg. (g. hr.)-1 at 36-37° C. After accounting for metabolic water production and faecal water loss, budgerigars flying at 18-20°C. had a net water loss of 11 mg. (g. hr.)-1. At this temperature 15% of the estimated heat production in flight was lost by evaporation of water, while 47% was lost by evaporation of water at 36-37°C. 5. Lung ventilation, tidal volume and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in expired air were estimated for flying budgerigars from evaporative water-loss data. In level flight at 18-20° C and 35 km./hr. these quantities had values of 398 ml. (g. hr.)-1, 0.033 ml. (g- breath)-1 and 37 mm. Hg. respectively. 6. Respiratory rate in level flight was measured in 2 birds at speeds between 19 and 48 km./hr. Respiratory rate depended on speed and was lowest at 35 km./hr. Since wing-beat frequency was constant at 840 beats/min. at all speeds, respiratory rate and wing-beat frequency were not synchronized. Published data and analysis of dimensional relations of birds suggest that in birds the size of a budgerigar or smaller a respiratory rate equal to the wing-beat frequency would be too high for efficient ventilation of the lungs. Birds the size of a pigeon or larger probably have synchronous wing beats and respirations.

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Energy expenditure and wing beat frequency in relation to body mass in free flying Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica)

Journal of Comparative Physiology B ◽

10.1007/s00360-006-0132-5 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 177 (3) ◽

pp. 327-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Carola A. Schmidt-Wellenburg ◽

Herbert Biebach ◽

Serge Daan ◽

G. Henk Visser

Keyword(s):

Energy Expenditure ◽

Body Mass ◽

Beat Frequency ◽

Hirundo Rustica ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Wing Beat Frequency ◽

Barn Swallows

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Temperature Regulation of the Sphinx Moth, Manduca Sexta

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.54.1.141 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 141-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

BERND HEINRICH

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Cooling Rate ◽

Manduca Sexta ◽

Temperature Regulation ◽

Beat Frequency ◽

Flight Speed ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Free Flight ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

Wing Beat Frequency

1. The sphinx moth, Manduca sexta, maintained an average thoracic temperature of 40-42 °C during free flight in ambient temperatures (TA) of about 16-33 °C. In the extremes, the excess of thoracic temperature TTh over TA varied from a mean of 25 °C at 12.5 °C, to a mean of 8 °C at a TA of 35 °C. 2. During tethered flight TTh increased directly with TA, and the excess of TTh over TA varied from about 11-4 °C. 3. The oxygen consumption was about 45-50 C.C. O2/g h during free flight from ambient temperatures of 15-30 °C. During captive flight the oxygen consumption was about 21 c.c. O2/g h. 4. The wing-beat frequency and amplitude during both free flight and captive flight did not vary significantly with TA. The wing-beat frequency was about the same during free flight and captive flight but the wing-beat amplitude was significantly less in the latter. 5. The moths showed little variation of flight speed with respect to TA on the flight mill. The difference between TTh and TA was strongly correlated with flight speed at low, but not at high, TA. 6. The cooling rate of dead moths was only slightly correlated with air speeds from 2 to 5 m/s. 7. The cooling rate of thoraces without scales was 2.4 times as great as with scales intact at an air flow 2 m/s, but the cooling rate of the abdomen was only slightly increased after the removal of its scales. 8. The data suggest that the rate of metabolism during flight is altered with regard to the flight effort, but not with regard to temperature-regulation. Heat is actively dissipated from the thorax during flight at high TA, or during fast flight when TTh reaches 40 °C or above.

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Tracheal Gases, Respiratory Gas Exchange, Body Temperature and Flight in Some Tropical Cicadas

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.111.1.131 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 111 (1) ◽

pp. 131-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

GEORGE A. BARTHOLOMEW ◽

M. CHRISTOPHER BARNHART

Keyword(s):

Body Temperature ◽

Gas Exchange ◽

Beat Frequency ◽

Body Volume ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Tracheal System ◽

Warm Up ◽

Wing Beat Frequency ◽

Total Body ◽

Total Body Volume

Fidicina mannifera Fab. (mass 3 g) can fly at a body temperature of 22°C but take-off is usually preceded by an endothermic warm-up that elevates Tth to 28 °C or higher. Warm-up is accompanied by slow, almost imperceptible, wing movements, gentle abdominal pumping and an increase in VOO2 to about 16 times the resting level. During wing-flapping in fixed flight, VOO2 increases explosively to about 70 times the resting level, and thoracic temperature rises to about 33°C. Wing-beat frequency increases with Tth. Between 25 and 34°C the mean wing-beat frequency is about 37 Hz. F. mannifera does not maintain free flight, or wing flapping in fixed flight, for more than about 100 s. Flight is supported aerobically, and we infer that exhaustion is related to depletion of substrate in the flight muscles. The volume of the tracheal system of F. mannifera is about 45% of total body volume. At rest, FCC2 in the thoracic air sacs remains near 17% and FCOCO2, near 3%. During non-flapping warm-up, FOO2 falls to as low as 1 and FCOCO2 rises to as high as 21%. Thus, gas exchange may limit the rate warm-up. When wing-flapping commences, FOO2 and FCOCO2 quickly return near resting levels, presumably as a result of auto ventilation. The interspecific regression of VOO2 on mass for three species of cicadas 23–24°C has a slope of 0.89 and a 1-g intercept of 0.63 mlh−1.

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Changes in the wing-beat frequency of bees and wasps depending on environmental conditions: a study with optical sensors

Apidologie ◽

10.1007/s13592-021-00860-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Antonio R. S. Parmezan ◽

Vinicius M. A. Souza ◽

Indrė Žliobaitė ◽

Gustavo E. A. P. A. Batista

Keyword(s):

Optical Sensors ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Beat Frequency ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Wing Beat Frequency

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Evolution of the wave: aerodynamic and aposematic functions of butterfly wing motion

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2006.0261 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 274 (1612) ◽

pp. 913-917 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Robert B Srygley

Keyword(s):

Beat Frequency ◽

Warning Signal ◽

Colour Pattern ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Wing Beat ◽

Butterfly Wing ◽

Motion Cues ◽

Wing Beat Frequency ◽

Wing Motion ◽

Heliconius Cydno

Many unpalatable butterfly species use coloration to signal their distastefulness to birds, but motion cues may also be crucial to ward off predatory attacks. In previous research, captive passion-vine butterflies Heliconius mimetic in colour pattern were also mimetic in motion. Here, I investigate whether wing motion changes with the flight demands of different behaviours. If birds select for wing motion as a warning signal, aposematic butterflies should maintain wing motion independently of behavioural context. Members of one mimicry group ( Heliconius cydno and Heliconius sapho ) beat their wings more slowly and their wing strokes were more asymmetric than their sister-species ( Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius erato , respectively), which were members of another mimicry group having a quick and steady wing motion. Within mimicry groups, wing beat frequency declined as its role in generating lift also declined in different behavioural contexts. In contrast, asymmetry of the stroke was not associated with wing beat frequency or behavioural context—strong indication that birds process and store the Fourier motion energy of butterfly wings. Although direct evidence that birds respond to subtle differences in butterfly wing motion is lacking, birds appear to generalize a motion pattern as much as they encounter members of a mimicry group in different behavioural contexts.

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