Meeting Abstract

P2.129  Monday, Jan. 5  Seasonal acclimation of energetics in Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). SGUEO, CE*; WAGNER, DN; WALSH, PJ; SCHAEFFER, PJ; Miami University; Miami University; Miami University; Miami University sgueoc@muohio.edu

Avian species are faced with varying seasonal challenges that must be met to ensure survival, particularly non-migrant species that undergo thermoregulatory challenges during harsh winter conditions. The summer is also energetically expensive due to breeding and parental care. In order to respond to environmental variation throughout a given year, physiological changes in energy use may be occurring at both organismal and cellular levels; therefore seasonal acclimation may be accomplished by phenotypic plasticity of energetic capacity. We measured daily energy expenditure using heart rate transmitters, maximum metabolic capacity, and muscle oxidative capacity in the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in winter (December to January) and breeding season (May to June), in order to test the hypothesis that phenotypic plasticity of energetics is an important part of seasonal acclimation.