Fat deposition and torpor use in hummingbirds exhibiting distinct foraging styles should vary. We predicted that dominant territorial hummingbirds will use torpor less than subordinate nonterritorial species because unrestricted access to energy by territory owners allows for fat storage. Entry into torpor was monitored using open-flow respirometry on hummingbirds allowed to accumulate fat normally during the day. Fat accumulation was measured by solvent fat extraction. Territorial blue-throated hummingbirds (Lampornis clemenciae) had the highest fat accumulation and used torpor only 17% of the time. Fat storage by L. clemenciae averaged 26% of lean dry mass (LDM) in 1995 and 18% in 1996, similar to that measured for other nonmigratory birds. Fat storage by magnificent hummingbirds (Eugenes fulgens; trapliner) and black-chinned hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri; nectar robber) averaged 19% and 16% of LDM, respectively, and they used torpor frequently (64% and 92% of the time, respectively). All species initiated torpor if total body fat dropped below 10% of LDM, indicating the existence of a torpor threshold. The ability of L. clemenciae to store enough fat to support nighttime metabolism is likely an important benefit of territoriality. Likewise, frequent torpor use by subordinates suggests that natural restrictions to energy intake can impact their energy budget, necessitating energy conservation by use of torpor.

No abstract

No abstract

Plasma prolactin and corticosterone levels were measured in free-living Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Torgersen Island, Antarctica (64°S latitude), at 4-hr intervals throughout the day during early January 1997 and examined for evidence of a 24-hr rhythm. At this season and latitude, natural daylight is continuous. No significant change in the plasma level of either corticosterone or prolactin was found across the day in this population. In contrast, hormone levels in birds at lower latitudes typically fluctuate between night and day. Our data would not have revealed circadian rhythms within individuals even if they exist, because each bird was only sampled once. The lack of hormone rhythms in the population, however, suggests that changes in light intensity at this latitude in the Antarctic summer are not sufficient to entrain, or perhaps even to maintain, circadian rhythms of individuals. Ausencia de Ciclos Diarios de Prolactina y Corticosterona en Pygoscelis adeliae bajo Luz Solar Continua Resumen. A principios de enero de 1997 en la Isla Torgersen, Antártica (latitud 64°S), se midieron cada 4 horas los niveles de prolactina y corticosterona en el plasma de Pygoscelis adeliae en busca de evidencia de un ciclo hormonal de 24 horas. Durante esta estación del año y a esta latitud, la luz solar es continua. No se encontraron cambios significativos en los niveles de prolactina ni de corticosterona en el plasma a través del día en esta población. En contraste, los niveles hormonales en aves en menores latitudes fluctúan típicamente entre el día y la noche. Aún si existiesen, nuestros datos no habrían revelado la existencia de ritmos circadianos para cada individuo, dado que cada animal fue muestreado una sola vez. Sin embargo, la ausencia de ciclos hormonales a nivel poblacional, sin embargo, indica que los cambios de luz a esta latitud en el verano antártico no son suficientes para sincronizar, o quizás ni siquiera para mantener, ritmos circadianos en los individuos.