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High basal metabolic rates of shorebirds while in the arctic: A circumpolar view

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Author

Summary, in English

The basal metabolic rate (BMR) of Old World long-distance-migrant shorebirds has been found to vary along their migration route. On average, BMR is highest in the Arctic at the start of fall migration, intermediate at temperate latitudes, and lowest on the tropical wintering grounds. As a test of the generality of this pattern, we measured the BMR of one adult and 44 juvenile shorebirds of 10 species (1-18 individuals of each species, body-mass range 19-94 g) during the first part of their southward migration in the Canadian Arctic (68-76degreesN). The interspecific relationship between BMR and body mass was almost identical to that found for juvenile shorebirds in the Eurasian Arctic (5 species), although only one species appeared in both data sets. We conclude that high BMR of shorebirds in the Arctic is a circumpolar phenomenon. The most likely explanation is that the high BMR reflects physiological adaptations to low ambient temperatures. Whether the BMR of New World shorebirds drops during southward migration remains to be investigated.

Publishing year

2003

Language

English

Pages

420-427

Publication/Series

The Condor: ornithological applications

Volume

105

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Topic

  • Ecology

Status

Published

Research group

  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0010-5422