Janes D N
Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside 92521, USA.
Physiol Zool. 1997 Mar-Apr;70(2):237-43. doi: 10.1086/639586.
Adélie penguins are very abundant in Antarctica and constitute a large biomass of predatory consumers in the Antarctic ecosystem. Adélies eat almost exclusively krill (Euphausia spp.), and to determine krill requirements by Adélies, information on energetics is needed, including energy intake of the chicks. I measured energy use and growth in Adélie penguin chicks, using both field and laboratory techniques. Field metabolic rate was quite variable, but mass-specific rates were not correlated with body mass. Growth followed the logistic equation: the growth constant was 0.143 d-1, and the asymptote for growth to fledging was 3,200 g. Different body organs had similar energy densities (in kilojoules per gram of dry mass), and total body energy density did not vary with chick mass. However, proportional mass of the skin increased rapidly as chicks grew, making the skin an important energy store in larger chicks. Metabolic efficiency measured in the laboratory averaged 69% and did not vary with chick mass. Total energy ingested over the 50-d development period was 162 MJ, which corresponds to approximately 33.6 kg of fresh krill. Previous studies of Adélie energetics have focused on adult energy balance and have calculated chick energy requirements indirectly on the basis of adults' stomach loads of krill and frequency of feeding chicks. Values from previous studies do not agree with those from the present study. The method used in the present study is more informative and accurate for measuring energy use by chicks, since measurements are made directly from chicks.
阿德利企鹅在南极洲数量众多，是南极生态系统中捕食性消费者的庞大生物量组成部分。阿德利企鹅几乎只吃磷虾（磷虾属），为了确定阿德利企鹅对磷虾的需求量，需要有关能量学的信息，包括雏鸟的能量摄入。我运用野外和实验室技术测量了阿德利企鹅雏鸟的能量利用和生长情况。野外代谢率变化很大，但单位质量代谢率与体重无关。生长遵循逻辑斯谛方程：生长常数为0.143 d⁻¹，羽化时的生长渐近线为3200克。不同身体器官具有相似的能量密度（以每克干重千焦计），雏鸟总体能量密度不随雏鸟体重变化。然而，随着雏鸟生长，皮肤的相对质量迅速增加，使得皮肤成为较大雏鸟的重要能量储存部位。实验室测量的代谢效率平均为69%，且不随雏鸟体重变化。在50天的发育期间摄入的总能量为162兆焦，这相当于约33.6千克新鲜磷虾。先前关于阿德利企鹅能量学的研究主要集中在成体的能量平衡，并根据成体胃内磷虾负荷和喂养雏鸟的频率间接计算雏鸟的能量需求。先前研究的值与本研究的值不一致。本研究中使用的方法在测量雏鸟能量利用方面更具信息性和准确性，因为测量是直接针对雏鸟进行的。
