Mediterranean songbirds show pronounced seasonal variation in thermoregulatory traits.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol
; 280: 111408, 2023 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36812978
Addressing the patterns of variation in thermal traits is crucial to better predict the potential effects of climate change on organisms. Here, we assessed seasonal (winter vs summer) adjustments in key thermoregulatory traits in eight Mediterranean-resident songbirds. Overall, songbirds increased whole-animal (by 8%) and mass-adjusted (by 9%) basal metabolic rate and decreased (by 56%) thermal conductance below the thermoneutral zone during winter. The magnitude of these changes was within the lower values found in songbirds from northern temperate areas. Moreover, songbirds increased (by 11%) evaporative water loss within the thermoneutral zone during summer, while its rate of increase above the inflection point of evaporative water loss (i.e., the slope of evaporative water loss versus temperature) decreased by 35% during summer - a value well above that reported for other temperate and tropical songbirds. Finally, body mass increased by 5% during winter, a pattern similar to that found in many northern temperate species. Our findings support the idea that physiological adjustments might enhance the resilience of Mediterranean songbirds to environmental changes, with short-term benefits by saving energy and water under thermally stressful conditions. Nevertheless, not all species showed the same patterns, suggesting different strategies in their thermoregulatory adaptations to seasonal environments.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aves Canoras
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article