PMID- 21708695
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
DCOM- 20121002
LR  - 20200930
IS  - 1540-7063 (Print)
IS  - 1540-7063 (Linking)
VI  - 42
IP  - 1
DP  - 2002 Feb
TI  - Ecological and evolutionary physiology of desert birds: a progress report.
PG  - 68-75
LID - 10.1093/icb/42.1.68 [doi]
AB  - The adaptive significance of mechanisms of energy and water conservation among 
      species of desert rodents, which avoid temperature extremes by remaining within a 
      burrow during the day, is well established. Conventional wisdom holds that 
      arid-zone birds, diurnal organisms that endure the brunt of their environment, 
      occupy these desert climates because of the possession of physiological design 
      features common to all within the class Aves. We review studies that show that 
      desert birds may have evolved specific features to deal with hot desert 
      conditions including: a reduced basal metabolic rate (BMR) and field metabolic 
      rate (FMR), and lower total evaporative water loss (TEWL) and water turnover 
      (WTO).Previous work on the comparative physiology of desert birds relied 
      primarily on information gathered on species from the deserts of the southwestern 
      U.S., which are semi-arid habitats of recent geologic origin. We include data on 
      species from Old World deserts, which are geologically older than those in the 
      New World, and place physiological responses along an aridity axis that includes 
      mesic, semi-arid, arid, and hyperarid environments.The physiological differences 
      between desert and mesic birds that we have identified using the comparative 
      method could arise as a result of acclimation to different environments, of 
      genetic change mediated by selection, or both. We present data on the flexibility 
      of BMR and TEWL in Hoopoe Larks that suggest that phenotypic adjustments in these 
      variables can be substantial. Finally, we suggest that linkages between the 
      physiology of individual organism and its life-history are fundamental to the 
      understanding of life-history evolution.
FAU - Williams, Joseph B
AU  - Williams JB
AD  - Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 
      1735 Neil Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
FAU - Tieleman, B Irene
AU  - Tieleman BI
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - England
TA  - Integr Comp Biol
JT  - Integrative and comparative biology
JID - 101152341
EDAT- 2002/02/01 00:00
MHDA- 2002/02/01 00:01
CRDT- 2011/06/29 06:00
PHST- 2011/06/29 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2002/02/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2002/02/01 00:01 [medline]
AID - 42/1/68 [pii]
AID - 10.1093/icb/42.1.68 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Integr Comp Biol. 2002 Feb;42(1):68-75. doi: 10.1093/icb/42.1.68.