Wm. Giuliano et al., COMPARATIVE REPRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL-RESPONSES OF NORTHERN BOBWHITE AND SCALED QUAIL TO WATER-DEPRIVATION, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology, 119(3), 1998, pp. 781-786
We compared reproductive and physiological responses of captive female
northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla
squamata) under control and water deprivation conditions. Scaled quail
required less food and water to reproduce successfully under control
conditions than northern bobwhite. Additionally, in scaled quail, seru
m osmolality levels and kidney mass were unaffected by water deprivati
on, whereas in northern bobwhite, serum osmolality levels increased an
d kidney mass declined. This finding indicates that scaled quail may h
ave osmoregulatory abilities superior to those of northern bobwhite. U
nder control conditions, northern bobwhite gained more body mass and p
roduced more but smaller eggs than scaled quail. Under water deprivati
on conditions, northern bobwhite lost more body mass but had more layi
ng hens with a higher rate of egg production than scaled quail. Our da
ta suggest that northern bobwhite allocated more resources to reproduc
tion than to body maintenance, while scaled quail apparently forego re
production in favor of body maintenance during water deprivation condi
tions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.