Abstract
Four adult pigeons were conditioned to adjust to a preferred ambient temperature and to receive food or water by instrumental responses. The experiments were performed in a Skinner-box under heat load conditions. Each session lasted 1 h. The birds were deprived of food and water for several days before the actual experiments with the exception of the control tests.
The exposure to different heat loads (50°, 55° and 60° C) effected both an increase in the responses for cold reward and a rise in respiratory evaporation (panting). The combined effort of behavioral and autonomous responses resulted in constant body temperature (42° C) under the three heat conditions (Fig. 1).
The food deprivation effected a preference of instrumental response for feeding and a negligence of behavioral temperature regulation, whereby a slight hyperthermia resulted in the first part of heat exposure (55° C, Fig. 2).
Water deprivation reduced the rate of respiration and simultaneously forced the response for cold reward, through which the deep body temperature was adjusted to the control level of 42° C (Fig. 3).
Intragastric infusion of 20 ml NaCl (0.8 mol) half an hour before starting heat load (55° C) produced the same result as water deprivation. Whereas infusion of isoosmotic KCl solution did not produce any deviation from the control tests (Fig. 4).
The results show competition between the conditioned thermal behaviour and the motivation of feeding or drinking in animals which may permit to compare the conditioned thermal behaviour with the natural kinds of behavioral temperature regulation. The non-appearance of hyperthermia under conditions of water deprivation and NaCl loading may indicate that the animals are able to use the autonomous and the behavioral types of heat defence responses to a greater or lesser extent as circumstances demand. This question seems to be of great interest and is fully discussed here.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adair, E. R., Wright, B.: Behavioral thermoregulation in the squirrel monkey when response effort is varied. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol.90, 179–184 (1976)
Baldwin, B. A.: Behavioural thermoregulation in mice. Physiol. Behav.3, 401–407 (1968)
Baldwin, B. A.: The effects of intra-ruminal loading with cold water on thermoregulatory behaviour in sheep. J. Physiol. (Lond.)249, 139–152 (1975)
Baldwin, B. A., Ingram, D. L.: Factors influencing behavioral thermoregulation in the pig. Physiol. Behav.3, 409–415 (1968)
Baldwin, B. A., Yates, J. O.: The effects of hypothalamic temperature variation and intracarotid cooling on behavioural thermoregulation in sheep. J. Physiol. (Lond.)265, 705–720 (1977)
Bligh, J.: Temperature regulation in mammals and other vertebrates. Amsterdam, London: North-Holland Publ. Comp. 1973
Cabanac, M.: Thermoregulatory behavior. In: Essays on temperature regulation (J.Bligh, R. E. Moore, eds.) Amsterdam: North-Holland 1972
Carlisle, H. J.: Peripheral thermal stimulation and thermoregulatory behavior: J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol.66, 507–510 (1968)
Corbit, J. D.: Behavioral regulation of body temperature. In: Physiological and behavioral temperature regulation (J. D. Hardy, A. P. Gagge, J. A. J. Stolwijk, eds.). Springfield, Ill.: Ch. C. Thomas 1970
Dawson, W. R., Hudson, J. W.: Birds. In: Comparative physiology of thermoregulation (G. C. Whittow, ed.). New York London: Academic Press 1970
Hensel, H., Brück, K., Raths, P.: Homeothermic organisms. In: Temperature and life, (H. Precht, J. Christophersen, H. Hensel, W. Larcher, eds.). Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1973
Horowitz, K. A., Scott, N. R., Hillman, P. W., Tienhoven, van A.: Effects of feathers on instrumental thermoregulatory behavior in chickens. Physiol. Behav.21, 233–238 (1978)
Ingram, D. L.: The efficiency of operant thermoregulatory behaviour in pigs as determined from the rate of oxygen consumption Pflügers Arch.353, 139–149 (1975)
Laudenslager, M. L., Hammel, H. T.: Environmental temperature selection by the chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar. Physiol. Behav.19, 543–548 (1977)
Satinoff, E., Hendersen, R.: Thermoregulatory behavior. In: Handbook of operant behavior, (W. K. Honig, J. E. R. Staddon, eds.). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall 1977
Schab, W.: Instrumentelles Verhalten der Taube unter peripherer und zentraler thermischer Belastung. Dipl. Thesis, Universität Bochum 1978
Schmidt, I.: Paradoxical changes of respiratory rate elicited by altering rostral brain stem temperature in the pigeon. Pflügers Arch.367, 111–113 (1976)
Schmidt, I.: Interactions of behavioral and autonomic thermoregulation in heat stressed pigeons. Pflügers Arch.374, 47–55 (1978a)
Schmidt, I.: Behavioral and autonomic thermoregulation in heat stressed pigeons modified by central thermal stimulation. J. Comp. Physiol.127, 75–87 (1978b)
Schmidt, I., Rautenberg, W.: Instrumental thermoregulatory behavior in pigeons. J. Comp. Physiol.101, 225–235 (1975)
Schmidt, I., Simon, E.: Interaction of behavioral and autonomic thermoregulation in cold exposed pigeons. J. Comp. Physiol. A,133, 151–157 (1979)
Simon-Oppermann, Ch., Jessen, C., Simon, E.: Non-sensory and sensory effects of hypothalamic temperature on thermal panting in conscious Pekin ducks. Pflügers Arch.368, R28 (1977)
Simon-Oppermann, Ch., Simon, E., Jessen, C., Hammel, H. T.: Hypothalamic thermosensitivity in conscious Pekin ducks. Am. J. Physiol.235, R130-R140 (1978)
Simon-Oppermann, Ch., Hammel, H. T., Simon, E.: Hypothalamic temperature and osmoregulation in the Pekin duck. Pflügers Arch.378, 213–221 (1979)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rautenberg, W., May, B. & Arabin, G. Behavioral and autonomic temperature regulation in competition with food intake and water balance of pigeons. Pflugers Arch. 384, 253–260 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584559
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584559