Active and resting metabolism in birds: allometry, phylogeny and ecology

Abstract

Variation in resting metabolic rate is strongly correlated with differences in body weight among birds. The lowest taxonomic level at which most of the variance in resting metabolic rate and body weight is evident for the sample is among families within orders. The allometric exponent across family points is 0.67. This exponent accords with the surface area interpretation of metabolic scaling based on considerations of heat loss. Deviations of family points from this allometric line are used to examine how resting metabolic rates differ among taxa, and whether variation in resting metabolic rate is correlated with broad differences in ecology and behaviour. Despite the strong correlation between resting metabolic rate and body weight, there is evidence for adaptive departures from the allometric line, and possible selective forces are discussed. The allometric scaling of active metabolic rate is compared with that of resting metabolic rate. The allometric exponents for the two levels of energy expenditure differ, demonstrating that active small‐bodied birds require proportionately more energy per unit time above resting levels than do active large‐bodied birds. No consistent evidence was found to indicate that the different methods used to estimate active metabolic rate result in systematic bias. Birds require more energy relative to body size when undertaking breeding activities than at other stages of the annual cycle.