scholarly journals Limitations on Animal Flight Performance

1991 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. ELLINGTON
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Specific Power ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Speed Range ◽  
Speed Performance ◽  
Flight Muscles ◽  
Animal Flight

Flight performance seems to change systematically with body size: small animals can hover and fly over a wide range of speeds, but large birds taxi for takeoff and then fly over a narrow speed range. The traditional explanation for this is that the mass-specific power required for flight varies with speed according to a U-shaped curve, and it also scales between m0 and m1/6, where m is body mass. The mass-specific power available from the flight muscles is assumed to scale as m−1/3. As available power decreases with increasing body size, the range of attainable flight speeds becomes progressively reduced until the largest animals can only fly in the trough of the U-shaped curve. Above a particular size, the available power is insufficient and flapping flight is not possible. The underlying assumptions of this argument are examined in this review. Metabolic measurements are more consistent with a J-shaped curve, with little change in power from hovering to intermediate flight speeds, than with a U-shaped curve. Scaling of the mass-specific power required to fly agrees with predictions. The mass-specific power available from, the muscles, estimated from maximal loading studies, varies as m0.13. This scaling cannot be distinguished from that of the power required to fly, refuting the argument that power imposes an intrinsic scaling on flight performance. It is suggested instead that limitations on low-speed performance result from an adverse scaling of lift production with increasing body size.

scholarly journals Kinematics Measurement and Power Requirements of Fruitflies at Various Flight Speeds

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4271
Author(s):  
Hao Jie Zhu ◽  
Mao Sun
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Flight Speed ◽  
Specific Power ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wingbeat Frequency ◽  
Body Angle ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Speed Range ◽  
Full Speed ◽  
Stroke Amplitude

Energy expenditure is a critical characteristic in evaluating the flight performance of flying insects. To investigate how the energy cost of small-sized insects varies with flight speed, we measured the detailed wing and body kinematics in the full speed range of fruitflies and computed the aerodynamic forces and power requirements of the flies. As flight speed increases, the body angle decreases and the stroke plane angle increases; the wingbeat frequency only changes slightly; the geometrical angle of attack in the middle upstroke increases; the stroke amplitude first decreases and then increases. The mechanical power of the fruitflies at all flight speeds is dominated by aerodynamic power (inertial power is very small), and the magnitude of aerodynamic power in upstroke increases significantly at high flight speeds due to the increase of the drag and the flapping velocity of the wing. The specific power (power required for flight divided by insect weigh) changes little when the advance ratio is below about 0.45 and afterwards increases sharply. That is, the specific power varies with flight speed according to a J-shaped curve, unlike those of aircrafts, birds and large-sized insects which vary with flight speed according to a U-shaped curve.

scholarly journals Divergence in Body Mass, Wing Loading, and Population Structure Reveals Species-Specific and Potentially Adaptive Trait Variation Across Elevations in Montane Bumble Bees

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D Lozier ◽  
Zachary M Parsons ◽  
Lois Rachoki ◽  
Jason M Jackson ◽  
Meaghan L Pimsler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wing Loading ◽  
Trait Variation ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
High Elevations

Abstract Biogeographic clines in morphology along environmental gradients can illuminate forces influencing trait evolution within and between species. Latitude has long been studied as a driver of morphological clines, with a focus on body size and temperature. However, counteracting environmental pressures may impose constraints on body size. In montane landscapes, declines in air density with elevation can negatively impact flight performance in volant species, which may contribute to selection for reduced body mass despite declining temperatures. We examine morphology in two bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus Latreille) species, Bombus vancouverensis Cresson and Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski, across mountainous regions of California, Oregon, and Washington, United States. We incorporate population genomic data to investigate the relationship between genomic ancestry and morphological divergence. We find that B. vancouverensis, which tends to be more specialized for high elevations, exhibits stronger spatial-environmental variation, being smaller in the southern and higher elevation parts of its range and having reduced wing loading (mass relative to wing area) at high elevations. Bombus vosnesenskii, which is more of an elevational generalist, has substantial trait variation, but spatial-environmental correlations are weak. Population structure is stronger in the smaller B. vancouverensis, and we find a significant association between elevation and wing loading after accounting for genetic structure, suggesting the possibility of local adaptation for this flight performance trait. Our findings suggest that some conflicting results for body size trends may stem from distinct environmental pressures that impact different aspects of bumble bee ecology, and that different species show different morphological clines in the same region.

Inter- and intraspecific vigilance patterns of two sympatric Tibetan ungulates

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 498-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunchao Luo ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Le Yang ◽  
Xinxin Wang ◽  
Ming Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Wild Ungulates ◽  
Small Female ◽  
Social Monitoring ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Large Groups

Abstract Vigilance is an important antipredation technique that can be affected by many factors, such as body size and group size. Small animals are more vulnerable than large ones, so the former are expected to behave more vigilantly than the latter. This effect of body size on vigilance may occur inter- or intraspecifically. We studied the vigilance behavior of two sympatric wild ungulates, Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) and Tibetan gazelles (Procapra picticaudata). Tibetan antelopes, with a body size of 33 kg are much larger than Tibetan gazelles, with a body size of approximately 14 kg. Tibetan antelopes are sexually and body-size dimorphic; that is, males are much heavier than females. Alternately, Tibetan gazelles are sexually dimorphic but the sexes do not differ in weight. Tibetan gazelles scanned their environment more frequently than Tibetan antelopes did. Small female Tibetan antelopes scanned their environment more frequently than males did, whereas male Tibetan gazelles scanned their environment more frequently than females did. Group size did not affect the vigilance of Tibetan gazelle, but its negative effect on the vigilance of male Tibetan antelopes was marginally significant. In female Tibetan antelopes, vigilance in large groups was high probably because of scramble competition and social monitoring. Our results suggested that body mass and group size play an important role in shaping the vigilance of these two rare Tibetan ungulates.

Natal dispersal in Columbian ground squirrels: is body mass the proximate stimulus?

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darwin R. Wiggett ◽  
David A. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Natal Dispersal ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Spermophilus Columbianus ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Columbian Ground Squirrels

Data on body mass and dispersal history of Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) were collected at five colonies in southwestern Alberta. Two colonies were studied from 1983 to 1990 and three from 1984 to 1986. Body mass of yearling male dispersers did not differ significantly from that of nondispersers. Among dispersers, heavier animals did not disperse before lighter ones. Extremely small animals, however, may delay dispersal until they are 2 years old. Timing of dispersal was not apparently related to body mass; dispersing squirrels showed a wide range in body mass, with dispersal occurring synchronously at all colonies in all years despite significant differences in body mass of yearlings between colonies. The apparent lack of evidence for a critical body mass threshold for dispersal led us to conclude that the timing of dispersal in yearling male Columbian ground squirrels is not controlled at the proximate level by achieving a set point in body mass.

scholarly journals A System-Agnostic, Adaptable and Extensible Animal Support Cradle System for Cardio-Respiratory-Synchronised, and Other, Multi-Modal Imaging of Small Animals

Tomography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-54
Author(s):  
Veerle Kersemans ◽  
Stuart Gilchrist ◽  
Philip Danny Allen ◽  
Sheena Wallington ◽  
Paul Kinchesh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Data ◽  
Cardiac Monitoring ◽  
Small Animals ◽  
Maintenance System ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Animal Handling ◽  
Imaging Performance ◽  
Significant Effort

Standardisation of animal handling procedures for a wide range of preclinical imaging scanners will improve imaging performance and reproducibility of scientific data. Whilst there has been significant effort in defining how well scanners should operate and how in vivo experimentation should be practised, there is little detail on how to achieve optimal scanner performance with best practices in animal welfare. Here, we describe a system-agnostic, adaptable and extensible animal support cradle system for cardio-respiratory-synchronised, and other, multi-modal imaging of small animals. The animal support cradle can be adapted on a per application basis and features integrated tubing for anaesthetic and tracer delivery, an electrically driven rectal temperature maintenance system and respiratory and cardiac monitoring. Through a combination of careful material and device selection, we have described an approach that allows animals to be transferred whilst under general anaesthesia between any of the tomographic scanners we currently or have previously operated. The set-up is minimally invasive, cheap and easy to implement and for multi-modal, multi-vendor imaging of small animals.

scholarly journals Morphological determinants of jumping performance in the Iberian green frog

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-424
Author(s):  
Gregorio Moreno-Rueda ◽  
Abelardo Requena-Blanco ◽  
Francisco J Zamora-Camacho ◽  
Mar Comas ◽  
Guillem Pascual
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Hind Limb ◽  
Limb Length ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Jumping Performance ◽  
Hind Limbs ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Pelophylax Perezi

Abstract Predation is one of the main selective forces in nature, frequently selecting potential prey for developing escape strategies. Escape ability is typically influenced by several morphological parameters, such as morphology of the locomotor appendices, muscular capacity, body mass, or fluctuating asymmetry, and may differ between sexes and age classes. In this study, we tested the relationship among these variables and jumping performance in 712 Iberian green frogs Pelophylax perezi from an urban population. The results suggest that the main determinant of jumping capacity was body size (explaining 48% of variance). Larger frogs jumped farther, but jumping performance reached an asymptote for the largest frogs. Once controlled by structural body size, the heaviest frogs jumped shorter distances, suggesting a trade-off between fat storage and jumping performance. Relative hind limb length also determined a small but significant percentage of variance (2.4%) in jumping performance—that is, the longer the hind limbs, the greater the jumping capacity. Juveniles had relatively shorter and less muscular hind limbs than adults (for a given body size), and their jumping performance was poorer. In our study population, the hind limbs of the frogs were very symmetrical, and we found no effect of fluctuating asymmetry on jumping performance. Therefore, our study provides evidence that jumping performance in frogs is not only affected by body size, but also by body mass and hind limb length, and differ between age classes.

scholarly journals Ontogeny of body size and shape of Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (12) ◽  
pp. 1275-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián P. Luque ◽  
Edward H. Miller ◽  
John P.Y. Arnould ◽  
Magaly Chambellant ◽  
Christophe Guinet
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Adult Body ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Lactation Duration

Pre- and post-weaning functional demands on body size and shape of mammals are often in conflict, especially in species where weaning involves a change of habitat. Compared with long lactations, brief lactations are expected to be associated with fast rates of development and attainment of adult traits. We describe allometry and growth for several morphological traits in two closely related fur seal species with large differences in lactation duration at a sympatric site. Longitudinal data were collected from Antarctic ( Arctocephalus gazella (Peters, 1875); 120 d lactation) and subantarctic ( Arctocephalus tropicalis (Gray, 1872); 300 d lactation) fur seals. Body mass was similar in neonates of both species, but A. gazella neonates were longer, less voluminous, and had larger foreflippers. The species were similar in rate of preweaning growth in body mass, but growth rates of linear variables were faster for A. gazella pups. Consequently, neonatal differences in body shape increased over lactation, and A. gazella pups approached adult body shape faster than did A. tropicalis pups. Our results indicate that preweaning growth is associated with significant changes in body shape, involving the acquisition of a longer, more slender body with larger foreflippers in A. gazella. These differences suggest that A. gazella pups are physically more mature at approximately 100 d of age (close to weaning age) than A. tropicalis pups of the same age.

scholarly journals Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex-specific prediction formulas

1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Deurenberg ◽  
Jan A. Weststrate ◽  
Jaap C. Seidell
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Skinfold Thickness ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Age And Sex

In 1229 subjects, 521 males and 708 females, with a wide range in body mass index (BMI; 13.9–40.9 kg/m2), and an age range of 7–83 years, body composition was determined by densitometry and anthropometry. The relationship between densitometrically-determined body fat percentage (BF%) and BMI, taking age and sex (males =1, females = 0) into account, was analysed. For children aged 15 years and younger, the relationship differed from that in adults, due to the height-related increase in BMI in children. In children the BF% could be predicted by the formula BF% = 1.51xBMI–0.70xage–3.6xsex+1.4 (R2 0.38, SE of estimate (see) 4.4% BF%). In adults the prediction formula was: BF% = 1.20xBMI+0.23xage−10.8xsex–5.4 (R2 0.79, see = 4.1% BF%). Internal and external cross-validation of the prediction formulas showed that they gave valid estimates of body fat in males and females at all ages. In obese subjects however, the prediction formulas slightly overestimated the BF%. The prediction error is comparable to the prediction error obtained with other methods of estimating BF%, such as skinfold thickness measurements or bioelectrical impedance.

scholarly journals Intraspecific Variation in Maximum Ingested Food Size and Body Mass in Varecia rubra and Propithecus coquereli

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Hartstone-Rose ◽  
Jonathan M. G. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Scaling Relationship ◽  
Varecia Rubra ◽  
Food Size ◽  
The Relationship

In a recent study, we quantified the scaling of ingested food size (Vb )—the maximum size at which an animal consistently ingests food whole—and found that Vb scaled isometrically between species of captive strepsirrhines. The current study examines the relationship between Vb and body size within species with a focus on the frugivorous Varecia rubra and the folivorous Propithecus coquereli. We found no overlap in Vb between the species (all V. rubra ingested larger pieces of food relative to those eaten by P. coquereli), and least-squares regression of Vb and three different measures of body mass showed no scaling relationship within each species. We believe that this lack of relationship results from the relatively narrow intraspecific body size variation and seemingly patternless individual variation in Vb within species and take this study as further evidence that general scaling questions are best examined interspecifically rather than intraspecifically.

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