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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Mitochondrial Metabolism In Blood More Reliably Predicts Whole-Animal Energy Needs Compared To Other Tissues, Stefania Casagrande, Maciej Dzialo, Lisa Trost, Kasja Malkoc, Edyta T. Sadowska, Michaela Hau, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Ulf Bauchinger Dec 2023

Mitochondrial Metabolism In Blood More Reliably Predicts Whole-Animal Energy Needs Compared To Other Tissues, Stefania Casagrande, Maciej Dzialo, Lisa Trost, Kasja Malkoc, Edyta T. Sadowska, Michaela Hau, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Ulf Bauchinger

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding energy metabolism in free-ranging animals is crucial for ecological studies. In birds, red blood cells (RBCs) offer a minimally invasive method to estimate metabolic rate (MR). In this study with European starlings Sturnus vulgaris, we examined how RBC oxygen consumption relates to oxygen use in key tissues (brain, liver, heart, and pectoral muscle) and versus the whole-organism measured at basal levels. The pectoral muscle accounted for 34-42% of organismal MR, while the heart and liver, despite their high mass-specific metabolic rate, each contributed 2.5-3.0% to organismal MR. Despite its low contribution to organismal MR (0.03-0.04%), RBC MR best predicted …


How Birds During Migration Maintain (Oxidative) Balance, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Wales A. Carter, Clara Cooper-Mullin, Kristen J. Demoranville, Abigail E. Frawley, Barbara J. Pierce, Megan Skrip Oct 2021

How Birds During Migration Maintain (Oxidative) Balance, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Wales A. Carter, Clara Cooper-Mullin, Kristen J. Demoranville, Abigail E. Frawley, Barbara J. Pierce, Megan Skrip

Biology Faculty Publications

Animals dynamically adjust their physiology and behavior to survive in changing environments, and seasonal migration is one life stage that demonstrates these dynamic adjustments. As birds migrate between breeding and wintering areas, they incur physiological demands that challenge their antioxidant system. Migrating birds presumably respond to these oxidative challenges by up-regulating protective endogenous systems or accumulating dietary antioxidants at stopover sites, although our understanding of the pre-migration preparations and mid-migration responses of birds to such oxidative challenges is as yet incomplete. Here we review evidence from field and captive-bird studies that address the following questions: (1) Do migratory birds build …


The Effects Of Dietary Linoleic Acid And Hydrophilic Antioxidants On Basal, Peak, And Sustained Metabolism In Flight‐Trained European Starlings, Wales A. Carter, Kristen J. Demoranville, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams Feb 2020

The Effects Of Dietary Linoleic Acid And Hydrophilic Antioxidants On Basal, Peak, And Sustained Metabolism In Flight‐Trained European Starlings, Wales A. Carter, Kristen J. Demoranville, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Dietary micronutrients have the ability to strongly influence animal physiology and ecology. For songbirds, dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and antioxidants are hypothesized to be particularly important micronutrients because of their influence on an individual's capacity for aerobic metabolism and recovery from extended bouts of exercise. However, the influence of specific fatty acids and hydrophilic antioxidants on whole‐animal performance remains largely untested. We used diet manipulations to directly test the effects of dietary PUFA, specifically linoleic acid (18:2n6), and anthocyanins, a hydrophilic antioxidant, on basal metabolic rate (BMR), peak metabolic rate (PMR), and rates of fat catabolism, lean catabolism, and …


Resistance And Resilience Of Virgin Islands Bird Populations Following Severe Hurricanes, Robert A. Askins, David N. Ewert Jan 2020

Resistance And Resilience Of Virgin Islands Bird Populations Following Severe Hurricanes, Robert A. Askins, David N. Ewert

Biology Faculty Publications

We analyzed changes in abundance of terrestrial birds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for a 32 year period during which 3 major hurricanes occurred. Using 1987 as a baseline year, because it followed a 27 year hiatus when no major hurricanes hit the island, we assessed the impact of hurricanes on vegetation structure and bird populations. Bird abundance was determined for 25 m radius circular plots that were surveyed each year of the study along the same transects. Percent cover of trees, shrubs, and herbs was measured in each plot in 1987, 1990, and 2019. All of the survey …


Dietary Antioxidants Attenuate The Endocrine Stress Response During Long-Duration Flight Of A Migratory Bird, Stefania Casagrande, Kristen J. Demoranville, Lisa Trost, Barbara J. Pierce, Amadeusz Bryła, Maciej Dzialo, Edyta T. Sadowska, Ulf Bauchinger, Scott R. Mcwilliams Jan 2020

Dietary Antioxidants Attenuate The Endocrine Stress Response During Long-Duration Flight Of A Migratory Bird, Stefania Casagrande, Kristen J. Demoranville, Lisa Trost, Barbara J. Pierce, Amadeusz Bryła, Maciej Dzialo, Edyta T. Sadowska, Ulf Bauchinger, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are metabolic hormones that promote catabolic processes, which release stored energy and support high metabolic demands such as during prolonged flights of migrating birds. Dietary antioxidants (e.g. anthocyanins) support metabolism by quenching excess reactive oxygen species produced during aerobic metabolism and also by activating specific metabolic pathways. For example, similar to GCs’ function, anthocyanins promote the release of stored energy, although the extent of complementarity between GCs and dietary antioxidants is not well known. If anthocyanins complement GCs functions, birds consuming anthocyanin-rich food can be expected to limit the secretion of GCs when coping with a metabolically challenging …


Minnesota’S Third Tufted Duck, Philip C. Chu Apr 2019

Minnesota’S Third Tufted Duck, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Rabbits And Rebounding Populations Bring Hope For Shrubland Birds, Robert A. Askins, Christopher R. Field Jan 2016

Rabbits And Rebounding Populations Bring Hope For Shrubland Birds, Robert A. Askins, Christopher R. Field

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Response Of Bird Populations To Long-Term Changes In Local Vegetation And Regional Forest Cover, Mary Buchanan, Robert A. Askins, Chad C. Jones Jan 2016

Response Of Bird Populations To Long-Term Changes In Local Vegetation And Regional Forest Cover, Mary Buchanan, Robert A. Askins, Chad C. Jones

Biology Faculty Publications

We analyzed data from a woodland site for a 59-year period to determine whether changes in bird populations are related to changes in the diversity and relative abundance of woody plant species even when vegetation structure, degree of forest fragmentation in the surrounding landscape, and regional changes in bird populations are taken into account. Principal component analyses generated vegetation factors encompassing variables such as total basal area, shrub density, basal area of common tree species, and measures of tree and shrub species diversity. We also calculated a forest edge/ forest area index based on GIS analysis of the landscape within …


The Critical Importance Of Large Expanses Of Continuous Forest For Bird Conservation, Robert A. Askins Jan 2015

The Critical Importance Of Large Expanses Of Continuous Forest For Bird Conservation, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Fat Of The Matter: How Dietary Fatty Acids Can Affect Exercise Performance, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams Nov 2014

The Fat Of The Matter: How Dietary Fatty Acids Can Affect Exercise Performance, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Fatty-acid composition of fat stores affects exercise performance in a variety of vertebrates although few such studies focus on flying vertebrates such as migratory birds, which are exceptional exercisers. We first discuss the natural variation in quality of fat available in natural foods eaten by migratory birds and their behavioral preferences for specific fatty acids in these foods. We then outline three proposed hypotheses for how dietary fatty acids can affect exercise performance, and some of the evidence to date that pertains to these hypotheses with special emphasis on the exercise performance of migratory birds. In theory, selectively feeding on …


Sprague's Pipit In Clay County, Philip Chu Apr 2013

Sprague's Pipit In Clay County, Philip Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Bilateral Multi-Electrode Neurophysiological Recordings Coupled To Local Pharmacology In Awake Songbirds, Liisa A. Tremere, Thomas A. Terleph, Jin Kwon Jeong, Raphael Pinaud Feb 2010

Bilateral Multi-Electrode Neurophysiological Recordings Coupled To Local Pharmacology In Awake Songbirds, Liisa A. Tremere, Thomas A. Terleph, Jin Kwon Jeong, Raphael Pinaud

Biology Faculty Publications

Here we describe a protocol for bilateral multielectrode neurophysiological recordings during intracerebral pharmacological manipulations in awake songbirds. This protocol encompasses fitting adult animals with head-posts and recording chambers, and acclimating them to periods of restraint. The adaptation period is followed by bilateral penetrations of multiple electrodes to obtain acute, sensory-driven neurophysiological responses before versus during the application of pharmacological agents of interest. These local manipulations are achieved by simultaneous and restricted drug infusions carried out independently for each hemisphere. We have used this protocol to elucidate how neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine systems shape the auditory and perceptual processing of natural, learned …


Historical Information On Bird Distributions Indicates That Mute Swans Were Introduced To North America, Robert A. Askins Mar 2009

Historical Information On Bird Distributions Indicates That Mute Swans Were Introduced To North America, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Songbird Forebrain Area Potentially Involved In Auditory Discrimination And Memory Formation, Raphael Pinaud, Thomas A. Terleph Mar 2008

A Songbird Forebrain Area Potentially Involved In Auditory Discrimination And Memory Formation, Raphael Pinaud, Thomas A. Terleph

Biology Faculty Publications

Songbirds rely on auditory processing of natural communication signals for a number of social behaviors, including mate selection, individual recognition and the rare behavior of vocal learning - the ability to learn vocalizations through imitation of an adult model, rather than by instinct. Like mammals, songbirds possess a set of interconnected ascending and descending auditory brain pathways that process acoustic information and that are presumably involved in the perceptual processing of vocal communication signals. Most auditory areas studied to date are located in the caudomedial forebrain of the songbird and include the thalamo-recipient field L (subfields L1, L2 and L3), …


Neural Correlates Of Auditory Processing, Learning And Memory Formation In Songbirds, Raphael Pinaud, Thomas A. Terleph, Ryan D. Wynne, Liisa A. Tremere Feb 2008

Neural Correlates Of Auditory Processing, Learning And Memory Formation In Songbirds, Raphael Pinaud, Thomas A. Terleph, Ryan D. Wynne, Liisa A. Tremere

Biology Faculty Publications

Songbirds have emerged as powerful experimental models for the study of auditory processing of complex natural communication signals. Intact hearing is necessary for several behaviors in developing and adult animals including vocal learning, territorial defense, mate selection and individual recognition. These behaviors are thought to require the processing, discrimination and memorization of songs. Although much is known about the brain circuits that participate in sensorimotor (auditory-vocal) integration, especially the “songcontrol” system, less is known about the anatomical and functional organization of central auditory pathways. Here we discuss findings associated with a telencephalic auditory area known as the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM). …


Fruit Quality And Consumption By Songbirds During Autumn Migration, Susan B. Smith, Kathleen H. Mcpherson, Jeffrey M. Backer, Barbara J. Pierce, David W. Podlesak, Scott R. Mcwilliams Sep 2007

Fruit Quality And Consumption By Songbirds During Autumn Migration, Susan B. Smith, Kathleen H. Mcpherson, Jeffrey M. Backer, Barbara J. Pierce, David W. Podlesak, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Seasonal fruits are an important food resource for small songbirds during autumn migration in southern New England. Therefore, conservation and management of important stopover sites used by migrating birds requires knowledge about nutritional requirements of songbirds and nutritional composition of commonly consumed fruits. We measured nutrient composition and energy density of nine common fruits on Block Island, Rhode Island, and conducted a field experiment to estimate consumption rates of three of these fruits by birds during autumn migration. Most common fruits on Block Island contained primarily carbohydrates (41.3–91.2% dry weight), and little protein (2.6–8.6%) and fat (0.9–3.7%), although three contained …


First Slaty-Backed Gull For Minnesota, Philip C. Chu Apr 2007

First Slaty-Backed Gull For Minnesota, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


First Breeding Of The Snowy Plover In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu Jan 2007

First Breeding Of The Snowy Plover In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


First Confirmed Breeding Of The Rock Wren In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu Jul 2005

First Confirmed Breeding Of The Rock Wren In Minnesota, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Seasonal Changes In Composition Of Lipid Stores In Migratory Birds: Causes And Consequences, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams May 2005

Seasonal Changes In Composition Of Lipid Stores In Migratory Birds: Causes And Consequences, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

It is well established that birds use fat stores to primarily fuel migration; however, few studies have focused on the causes and consequences of observed seasonal changes in fatty acid composition of fat stores in birds. We propose and test two hypotheses that address the causes of these seasonal changes in composition of fat stores: (1) diet composition determines fatty acid composition of fat stores, and (2) birds selectively metabolize and store certain fatty acids during migration in lieu of changing their diet. When we offered Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceous) choices between diets that differed only in fatty acid composition, …


Effect Of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition On Depot Fat And Exercise Performance In A Migrating Songbird, The Red-Eyed Vireo, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Timothy P. O'Connor, Allen R. Place, Christopher G. Guglielmo Jan 2005

Effect Of Dietary Fatty Acid Composition On Depot Fat And Exercise Performance In A Migrating Songbird, The Red-Eyed Vireo, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Timothy P. O'Connor, Allen R. Place, Christopher G. Guglielmo

Biology Faculty Publications

Most migrating birds accumulate lipid stores as their primary source of energy for fueling long distance flights. Lipid stores of birds during migration are composed of mostly unsaturated fatty acids; whether such a fatty acid composition enhances exercise performance of birds is unknown. We tested this hypothesis by measuring metabolic rate at rest and during intense exercise in two groups of red-eyed vireos, a long-distance migratory passerine, fed either a diet containing 82% unsaturated fat (82%U), or one containing 58% unsaturated fat (58%U). Vireos fed the 82%U diet had fat stores containing (77%) unsaturated fatty acids, whereas vireos fed the …


Diet Quality And Food Limitation Affect The Dynamics Of Body Composition And Digestive Organs In A Migratory Songbird (Zonotrichia Albicollis), Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams Jan 2004

Diet Quality And Food Limitation Affect The Dynamics Of Body Composition And Digestive Organs In A Migratory Songbird (Zonotrichia Albicollis), Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

Migrating songbirds interrupt their feeding to fly between stopover sites that may vary appreciably in diet quality. We studied the effects of fasting and food restriction on body composition and digestive organs in a migratory songbird and how these effects interacted with diet quality to influence the rate of recovery of nutrient reserves. Food limitation caused whitethroated sparrows to reduce both lean and fat reserves, with about 20% of the decline in lean mass represented by a decline in stomach, small intestine, and liver. During refeeding on diets similar in nutrient composition to either grain or fruit, foodlimited grain-fed birds …


High Frequency Of Extra-Pair Paternity In Eastern Kingbirds, Michael T. Murphy, Diane L. Rowe, Robert C. Fleischer, Paul G. Wolf Nov 2001

High Frequency Of Extra-Pair Paternity In Eastern Kingbirds, Michael T. Murphy, Diane L. Rowe, Robert C. Fleischer, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Genetic parentage in the socially monogamous and territorial Eastern Kingbird( Tyrannust tyrannus) was examined in a central New York population by multilocus DNA fingerprinting. Extra-pair young were identified in 60% (12 of 20) of nests. Of the 64 nestlings profiled, 42% were sired by extra-pair males, but no cases of conspecific brood parasitism were detected. These results are markedly different from a previous electrophoretic study of the same species in a Michigan population, which reported 39% of nestlings were unrelated to one (typically the mother, quasiparasitismo)r both (conspecificb roodp arasitism) of the putative parents. In the New York population, extra-pairp …


Abnormal Pigmentation In A Franklin's Gull, Philip C. Chu Apr 2000

Abnormal Pigmentation In A Franklin's Gull, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Summer Survey Of The Birds At Two Eastern Nebraska Wetlands, Kristine T. Phipps Mar 2000

A Summer Survey Of The Birds At Two Eastern Nebraska Wetlands, Kristine T. Phipps

Biology Faculty Publications

This study compares the avian species diversity at two eastern Nebraska wetlands that differ in their relative isolation from an urban environment. Birds were surveyed by the point Count method twice weekly at each site during June of 1998. Diversity was measured using species richness and species evenness. The percentage of bird species observed that depend on wetlands for breeding was also compared. Results suggest that both species richness and evenness, as determined by the Shannon-Wiener index, were higher at the wetland located in a network of other marsh areas and agricultural land than at the suburban wetland. Immigration of …


Phylogenetic Reanalysis Of Strauch's Osteological Data Set For The Charadriiformes, Philip C. Chu Feb 1995

Phylogenetic Reanalysis Of Strauch's Osteological Data Set For The Charadriiformes, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

Strauch's (1978) compatibility analysis of relationships among the shorebirds (Charadriiformes) was the first study to examine the full range of charadriiform taxa in a reproducible way. Subsequently Mickevich and Parenti (1980) leveled serious charges against Strauch's characters, method of phylogenetic inference, and results. To account for these charges, Strauch's characters were re-examined and recoded, and parsimony analyses were performed on the revised matrix. A parsimony analysis on 74 taxa from the revised matrix yielded 855 shortest trees, each length = 286 and consistency index = 0.385. In each shortest tree there were two major lineages, a lineage of sandpiper-like birds …


Bird Territories: A Key To Understanding Bird Behavior, Robert A. Askins Apr 1987

Bird Territories: A Key To Understanding Bird Behavior, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Origins Of Spring Migratory Staging By Sandhill Cranes And White-Fronted Geese, Roger S. Sharpe Jan 1978

The Origins Of Spring Migratory Staging By Sandhill Cranes And White-Fronted Geese, Roger S. Sharpe

Biology Faculty Publications

A most unusual avian migratory event takes place each .,pring in the Platte River basin of Nebraska between 98 and 102 degrees longitude (Fig. 1). In suitable habitats throughout this area large concentrations of Sandhill Cranes, Crus canadensis, and White-fronted Geese, Anser albifrons, develop and achieve peak populations in mid to late March. This phenomenon is traditional to the migratory habits of specific populations and occurs during the spring movement from wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico to breeding grounds far to the north in Canada and Alaska. In both species groups of individuals drift in from wintering …