ABSTRACT
Morphometrics and isotope-labelled water were used to determine body composition [total body water, total body fat and fat-free mass (FFM)] of three captive female olive baboons (Papio anubis). Mean mass was 16.5 kg, comparable with other captive settings but heavier than wild olive baboons. Average water content was 66%; FFM averaged 90.5%. Baboon females have less body fat than human counterparts. Compared with captive or wild baboons, these females were adequately nourished for their energy expenditure. A positive association between total mass and FFM existed, but due to the small sample no general relationship was observed for body fat or FFM and condition or size measures. The kinetics of deuterium equilibration in body fluids for baboons was determined as 3-4 hours after injection, similar to that for humans. Deuterium dilution technique appears to be an appropriate method for studying body composition in baboons, although a larger sample is needed for relationships between morphometric indices and body composition.
Subject(s)
Body Composition/physiology , Deuterium/pharmacokinetics , Papio/physiology , Animals , Anthropometry , Female , Isotope LabelingABSTRACT
Northwestern European populations of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) have been restored by settling young birds which, after having been maintained captive for 3 years, do not migrate when released. Since they are still supplied with food, the question we address here is how settled White Storks would cope with a fast resulting from a cold spell if food were no longer available. We therefore measured daily body mass loss, nitrogen excretion and daily energy expenditure under natural photoperiod and climatic conditions in six captive White Storks exposed to 5 days of food deprivation during winter. Daily ambient temperature ranged between -10 and 17 degrees C. After an initial decrease in both daily body mass loss and nitrogen excretion during the first day of fasting, these two parameters stabilized at low values. Lipids were the main fuel energy source (91%) and body proteins accounted for the remainder (9%). The rate of CO(2) production, measured with the doubly labeled water method, decreased significantly (P<0.001) during fasting when compared to the ad libitum value. Our data show that the metabolic adjustments of White Storks facing starvation are similar to those found in birds well-adapted to long-term fasting. From the determination of lipid and protein stores and of lipid and protein depletion rates, we conclude that White Storks would be able to survive at least during 4 weeks, a period of time twice as long as the duration of cold spells usually occurring in the Alsace region.
Subject(s)
Acclimatization/physiology , Birds/physiology , Energy Metabolism/physiology , Fasting/physiology , Animal Migration , Animals , Body Weight , Cold Temperature , Female , Male , Nitrogen/metabolism , Oxygen Isotopes , Seasons , Water/metabolismABSTRACT
An experiment of Artificial Ecosystem in closed growth chambers is described. It comprises a biomass producer compartment coupled with a decomposer compartment. A model of carbon cycle is presented, simulating the CO2 changes in atmosphere and the carbon status in plants and in the decomposer system. Results of variation in several parameters such as photoperiod, rate of photosynthesis, percentage of harvested biomass introduced in decomposer, kinetics of biomass decomposition, are presented. Positive conclusions are deduced about the feasability of real experiments without particular control of CO2 nor buffering system. Applications in studies on plant-soil-atmosphere ecosystems, for spatial and terrestrial researches, are discussed.
