L4 - Animal Energetics 4

Question 1

Give 2 errors associated with DLW

Answer 1

• it is great for estimating groups of animals but has wide errors for individuals
• error increases with increased water activity (desert animals are great for this method due to the low amount of water transactions)

Question 2

How does Heart Rate measure metabolism?

Answer 2

Die to its link to O2 consumption

VO2 = fH x Vs x (CaO2 - CVO2)
max O2 consumption = heat beat x StrokeVol (arterial oxygen content - venous oxygen content)

Question 3

There aren’t many measurements of cardiac strove volume of wild animals. How can this be combatted?

Answer 3

If the cardiac strove volume is constant or varies systematically, then VO2 ∝ fH

Question 4

Describe the technique for Heart Rate procedure

Answer 4

• it cannot be used on just 1 individual it has to be performed on multiple for calibrations
• Validations - O2 consumption and fH are compared over time.
• Estimates of VO2 are made from fH. then compared to respiratory results

In the field:

• fH monitor attached or implanted
• fH recorded over time for free living animal
• VO2 estimated using the calibrations

Question 5

What benefits does using HR not DLW for estimating ADMR have?

Answer 5

• HR is instantaneous
• you can break the HR results into sections e.g. foraging, swimming etc.
• can estimate individuals behaviours unlike DLW
• a blip in HR could effect the overall metabolism so HR has to be done over a longer period of time

Question 6

What 3 measurements does Accelerometery measure

Answer 6

heave sway and swerve

Question 7

Give 3 drawbacks of Accelerometery

Answer 7

1. It only measures movement not anything else
2. It doesn’t guide any information on energy an animal night be expending when it isn’t moving - gestation, post absorptive, growing rapidly, out of thermo neutral zone
3. might over estimate energy expenditure; gliding/soaring, hibernation, moving on water
4. • the further the detector form the animals centre of mass the more inaccurate the results