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Composition of the body mass overshoot in European barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba ): insurance against scarcity of energy or water?

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Abstract

European barn owl chicks (Tyto alba) show a body mass overshoot prior to fledging that has been predicted to serve as an energy reservoir during periods of stochastic food availability. However, the composition of the mass overshoot has heretofore not been directly examined in nestlings of this or any other species displaying a body mass overshoot during growth (e.g., raptors and seabirds). To experimentally determine whether the overshoot in body mass in juvenile European barn owls (Tyto alba) may act as an energy reservoir, we compared the body composition of owl chicks raised on an ad libitum diet to those fed a restricted diet designed to eliminate the overshoot. Chicks raised on the two diets were also compared for differences in maturation of diverse functions (e.g., locomotion) and tissues (e.g., skeletal development). Contrary to expectations, our results on body composition in juvenile barn owls indicate that the mass overshoot prior to fledging is primarily comprised of an increased water compartment. Thus, we suggest that the mass overshoot in owls (and possibly in other species) does not serve as an energy reservoir but, rather, may function as an insurance against dehydration when hot in-nest conditions force chicks to rely on evaporative cooling: temperatures in barn owl nests can reach up to 43°C. We found no significant differences in maturation indexes between diet treatments at the time of fledging

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Abbreviations

AD LIB:

Ad libitum

RESTR:

Restricted

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Acknowledgments

We thank E Mioskowski and A Wulgué for help with laboratory analyses. We also thank L Ciannelli for valuable comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. This study was conducted in compliance with current French laws and after experiments were approved by French authorities: Authorisation of the Ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Pêche nb 04196.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    Joël M. Durant

  2. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Mėta M. Landys

  3. Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg Cedex 02, France

    Yves Handrich

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  1. Joël M. Durant
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  2. Mėta M. Landys
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  3. Yves Handrich
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Correspondence to Joël M. Durant.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Durant, J.M., Landys, M.M. & Handrich, Y. Composition of the body mass overshoot in European barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba ): insurance against scarcity of energy or water?. J Comp Physiol B 178, 563–571 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-007-0246-4

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