Pj. Butler et al., Heart rate and rate of oxygen consumption during flight of the barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis, COMP BIOC A, 126(3), 2000, pp. 379-385
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences",Physiology
Journal title
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
We report the first measurements of heart rate (f(H)) and the rate of oxyge
n consumption ((V) over dot(O2)) during flights from a species of bird larg
er than 500 g. (V) over dot(O2) was obtained from nine forward flapping fli
ghts of 8.9 min mean duration at a mean speed of 13.2 m s(-1) performed by
three barnacle geese of mean mass 1.68 kg. Mean (V) over dot(O2) was 331 ml
min(-1) or 201 ml min(-1) kg(-1). Sixteen nights were obtained from two of
these birds equipped with heart rate data loggers, both when they were wea
ring a (V) over dot(O2) mask and when they were not. During flights with th
e mask (mean duration 7.4 min), mean f(H) was 472 beats per min and during
flights without the mask (mean duration 8.0 min) it was 391 beats per min.
Heart rate was also measured in another goose flying without a respiratory
mask and mean f(H) for all the three birds (mean mass 1.7 kg) flying withou
t a mask for an average of 7.9 min at 13 m s(-1) was 378 beats per min. Res
ting f(H) for these three birds was 79 beats per min. The values of f(H) du
ring flight are greater than those obtained from the same species during th
eir autumn migration from Spitsbergen to southern Scotland. The possible re
asons for this are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights res
erved.