Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.

Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate vari...

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Main Authors: Peter G Tickle, Robert L Nudds, Jonathan R Codd
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046950&type=printable
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author Peter G Tickle
Robert L Nudds
Jonathan R Codd
author_facet Peter G Tickle
Robert L Nudds
Jonathan R Codd
author_sort Peter G Tickle
collection DOAJ
description Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2012-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-c2bf3ea76b2442fb9dd5f518e4f06aad2025-08-20T03:25:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-01710e4695010.1371/journal.pone.0046950Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.Peter G TickleRobert L NuddsJonathan R CoddHere we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046950&type=printable
spellingShingle Peter G Tickle
Robert L Nudds
Jonathan R Codd
Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
PLoS ONE
title Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
title_full Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
title_fullStr Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
title_full_unstemmed Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
title_short Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.
title_sort barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0046950&type=printable
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AT robertlnudds barnaclegeeseachievesignificantenergeticsavingsbychangingposture
AT jonathanrcodd barnaclegeeseachievesignificantenergeticsavingsbychangingposture