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Animal Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Environmental Physiology Of Flight In Migratory Birds, Alexander R. Gerson Aug 2012

Environmental Physiology Of Flight In Migratory Birds, Alexander R. Gerson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Migratory birds complete amazing journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds. Each journey comprises a series of flights that last hours to days, followed by stopovers where fuel stores are replenished. Despite the long flights undertaken by migratory birds, where respiratory water losses are high for extended periods of time, birds are not dehydrated after flight. My studies demonstrate that birds maintain hydration by modulating rates of endogenous water production in response to rates of water loss. In resting, water restricted house sparrows (Passer domesticus) I used quantitative magnetic resonance body composition analysis (QMR) and hygrometry to demonstrate that stressed …


Dynamics Of Fat And Lean Mass In Refuelling Migrant Passerines Measured Using Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, Lisa V. Kennedy Apr 2012

Dynamics Of Fat And Lean Mass In Refuelling Migrant Passerines Measured Using Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, Lisa V. Kennedy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although fat deposition during stopover in migrating passerine birds has been extensively studied, changes in lean mass during refuelling are not well understood. I used quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) analysis to measure the deposition of fat and lean mass for both recaptured and single capture migrant passerines in spring and fall at Long Point, Ontario. Both the recapture analysis and single capture regression analysis indicated a substantial contribution of lean mass to overall increases in total body mass. Some of the variation in the relative deposition of fat and lean mass was explained by sex, age and season. I then …