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Power and metabolic scope of bird flight: a phylogenetic analysis of biomechanical predictions

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Abstract

For flying animals aerodynamic theory predicts that mechanical power required to fly scales as P ∝ m 7/6 in a series of isometric birds, and that the flight metabolic scope (P/BMR; BMR is basal metabolic rate) scales as P scope ∝ m 5/12. I tested these predictions by using phylogenetic independent contrasts from a set of 20 bird species, where flight metabolic rate was measured during laboratory conditions (mainly in wind tunnels). The body mass scaling exponent for P was 0.90, significantly lower than the predicted 7/6. This is partially due to the fact that real birds show an allometric scaling of wing span, which reduces flight cost. P scope was estimated using direct measurements of BMR in combination with allometric equations. The body mass scaling of P scope ranged between 0.31 and 0.51 for three data sets, respectively, and none differed significantly from the prediction of 5/12. Body mass scaling exponents of P scope differed significantly from 0 in all cases, and so P scope showed a positive body mass scaling in birds in accordance with the prediction.

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Fig. 1
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Fig 3

Abbreviations

A :

equivalent flat plate area

A 1 :

field resting metabolic rate

A 2 :

metabolic rate of arbitrary non-foraging behaviour

b :

wing span

BMR:

basal metabolic rate

C :

rate of energy consumption during foraging

E :

gross energy intake

g :

acceleration due to gravity

k :

induced drag factor

K :

metabolic ceiling

m, m 0 :

body mass

P :

mechanical power required to fly

P dep :

rate of energy accumulation

P flight :

flight metabolic rate

P mp :

mechanical power required to fly at minimum power speed

P scope :

flight metabolic scope

RMR:

resting metabolic rate

S d :

wing disc area (πb 2/4)

t 1, t 2 :

time periods

U :

flight speed through the air

U migr :

overall migration speed

λ :

phylogenetic dependence

ρ :

air density

ΔT 50H:

temperature at 50% DNA dissociation in DNA–DNA hybridization

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Olof Hellgren for patience, advice and help with phylogenetic procedures, Christoffer Johansson, Erik Svensson and two anonymous referees for constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by the Swedish Research Council and my position as Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Research Fellow is supported by a grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

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  1. Department of Theoretical Ecology, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Anders Hedenström

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Correspondence to Anders Hedenström.

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Hedenström, A. Power and metabolic scope of bird flight: a phylogenetic analysis of biomechanical predictions. J Comp Physiol A 194, 685–691 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0345-z

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