the effect of wind on the rate of heat loss from avian cup-shaped nests风的影响在热损失的速度从鸟类的杯状容器的巢穴.pdfVIP

The Effect of Wind on the Rate of Heat Loss from Avian Cup-Shaped Nests Caragh B. Heenan*, Roger S. Seymour Department of Ecology, Evolution and Landscape Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Abstract Forced convection can significantly influence the heat loss from birds and their offspring but effects may be reduced by using sheltered micro-sites such as cavities or constructing nests. The structural and thermal properties of the nests of two species, the spiny-cheeked honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis) and yellow-throated miner (Manorina flavigula), were measured in relation to three wind speeds. Nest dimensions differ between the two species, despite the similar body mass of the incubating adults, however nest conductance is comparable. As wind speed increases, so does the rate of heat loss from the nests of both species, and further still during incubation recesses. The significance of forced convection through the nest is a near-doubling in heat production required by the parent, even when incubating at relatively low wind speeds. This provides confirmation that selecting a sheltered nest site is important for avian reproductive success. Citation: Heenan CB, Seymour RS (2012) The Effect of Wind on the Rate of Heat Loss from Avian Cup-Shaped Nests. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32252. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0032252 Editor: R. Mark Brigham, University of Regina, Canada Received October 5, 2011; Accepted January 25, 2012; Published February 28, 2012 Copyright: 2012 Heenan, Seymour. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The work was funded by the University of Adelaide postgraduate research stu