Rose Kayleigh A R, Wilson Rory P, Ramenda Claudia, Robotka Hermina, Wikelski Martin, Shepard Emily L C
Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, UK.
Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany.
iScience. 2022 Aug 14;25(9):104878. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104878. eCollection 2022 Sep 16.
Quantifying stress and energetic responses in animals are major challenges, as existing methods lack temporal resolution and elevate animal stress. We propose "wake respirometry," a new method of quantifying fine-scale changes in CO production in unrestrained animals, using a nondispersive infrared CO sensor positioned downwind of the animal, i.e., in its wake. We parameterize the dispersion of CO in wakes using known CO flow rates and wind speeds. Tests with three bird species in a wind tunnel demonstrated that the system can resolve breath-by-breath changes in CO concentration, with clear exhalation signatures increasing in period and integral with body size. Changes in physiological state were detectable following handling, flight, and exposure to a perceived threat. We discuss the potential of wake respirometry to quantify stress and respiratory patterns in wild animals and provide suggestions for estimating behavior-specific metabolic rates via full integration of CO production across the wake.
量化动物的应激和能量反应是重大挑战，因为现有方法缺乏时间分辨率且会增加动物应激。我们提出了“尾流呼吸测量法”，这是一种量化无束缚动物二氧化碳产生的细微变化的新方法，使用一个位于动物下风向（即其尾流中）的非分散红外二氧化碳传感器。我们利用已知的二氧化碳流速和风速对尾流中二氧化碳的扩散进行参数化。在风洞中对三种鸟类进行的测试表明，该系统能够分辨出二氧化碳浓度的逐次呼吸变化，呼气特征明显，其时长和积分随体型增大而增加。在处理、飞行和暴露于感知到的威胁后，生理状态的变化是可检测到的。我们讨论了尾流呼吸测量法在量化野生动物应激和呼吸模式方面的潜力，并就通过对尾流中二氧化碳产生进行完全积分来估计特定行为代谢率提供了建议。
