Seasonal phenotypic flexibility of body mass,organ masses,and tissue oxidative capacity and their relationship to BMR in Chinese bulbuls
作者单位：School of Life and Environmental SciencesWenzhou University Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection
会议名称：《浙江省动物学会第十二届会员代表大会暨学术讨论会》
会议日期：2013年
关 键 词：Pycnonotus sinensis seasonal acclimatization phenotypic flexibility basal metabolic rate(BMR) cytochrome c oxidase(COX) state-4 respiration thyroid hormone
摘 要：Survival of small birds in fluctuating environments is facilitated by seasonal metabolic and morphological *** bulbuls Pycnonotus sinensis show winter increases in basal metabolic rate(BMR),nutritional organ masses,and liver and muscle cellular aerobic capacity relative to *** this study,we build on these previous studies by measuring seasonal adjustments in body mass(Mb),BMR,nutritional organ masses and several physiological, biochemical and hormonal markers over the entire annual cycle in wild-trapped Chinese bulbuls from Wenzhou,and we analyzed the relationships between variation in organ masses and cellular aerobic capacity and variation in BMR in individual birds.M and BMR were higher in spring (March to May) and winter(December to February) than in summer(June to August).The dry masses of several nutritional organs and mitochondrial protein content,state-4 respiration and cytochrome c oxidase(COX) activity in liver and muscle were all heightened in winter relative to other *** addition,heart and pectoral muscle,but not nutritional organ,dry masses and biochemical markers of cellular aerobic capacity in liver and muscle were positively correlated with *** triiodothyronine(T) concentration was higher in winter and spring than summer and autumn,and was positively correlated with BMR,mitochondrial protein content, state-4 respiration and COX activity in liver and *** results suggest that Chinese bulbuls rely on seasonal changes in nutritional organ masses as well as liver and muscle cellular aerobic capacity more than changes in skeletal muscle mass to promote seasonal metabolic flexibility.T appears to promote these seasonal thermoregulatory adjustments.