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Mammal and Bird Metabolism Relationships - Coggle Diagram
Mammal and Bird Metabolism Relationships
Abstract
Background
We obtained the values of BMR, Mass, and Mass-Specific BMR of both birds and Mammals
Methods
This was a theoretical lab so we used an established dataset. We queried Quaardvark to collect the data and plotted various tests for correlation between the variables
Results
As a result we concluded that BMR was positively correlated with body mass in animals (Figure 1) and birds (Figure 2), and that the Mass-Specific BMR of birds (Figure 3) was higher than in mammals (Figure 4).
Introduction
Background/Unknown
The previous research didn't give us any information about elevation, but it allowed us to assume birds function differently when it comes to distribution of mass compared to metabolic rate. It was from this understanding that I wanted to test for any obvious correlation
Question & Hypothesis
My question was immediately, "what other variables may be related to body size or metabolism" and so I hypothesized the size of the birds would likely be much higher at low elevation and much lower at higher elevation.
Approach
I will use a basic comparison via a scatterplot initially, and through further testing if necessary, to determine if there seems to be a correlation between elevation and mass in birds.
Methods
Design
As this is a test of correlation with pre-existing data and not so much a test of experimentation, we do not have groups to control for or variables to hold independent. We simply need to analyze the given information and come to a conclusion deductively
Subjects
The subjects of my research are the entire query of the Aves species list on Quaardvark, the relevant data being Mass and Elevation
Materials
As this is a theoretical lab the only materials I required were a computer and internet access to obtain the necessary data from the Quaardvark database.
Procedures
I re-examined my original data on BMR, mass, and Mass-Specific BMR and brought over the necessary data from Quaardvark on the masses and elevations of birds
Results
Summary
Our results were not as I hypothesized, but were very evident given just the information from analyzing the scatterplot relating Elevation on the X axis, to Mass on the Y axis (Figure 5). When we look at the data we can see my hypothesis only fit for extremely heavy outliers, while the rest of the data showed an almost equal horizontal distribution along the low end of the mass scale.
Figures
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Literature Cited
End Citation Format
Campos-Cerqueira M, Arendt WJ, Wunderle JM, Aide TM. 2017. Have bird distributions shifted along an elevational gradient on a tropical mountain? Ecology and Evolution. 7(23):9914–9924. doi:10.1002/ece3.3520.
Barve S, Ramesh V, Dotterer TM, Dove CJ. 2021 Feb 15. Elevation and body size drive convergent variation in thermo‐insulative feather structure of Himalayan birds. Ecography. doi:10.1111/ecog.05376.
Acharya BK, Sanders NJ, Vijayan L, Chettri B. 2011. Elevational Gradients in Bird Diversity in the Eastern Himalaya: An Evaluation of Distribution Patterns and Their Underlying Mechanisms. Nogues-Bravo D, editor. PLoS ONE. 6(12):e29097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029097.
In-Line Format
(Campos-Cerqueira M et al., 2017)
(Barve S, et al., 2021)
(Acharya BK, et al., 2011)
Discussion
These results would indicate that regardless of elevation you will see a large variety in the body mass of birds, or otherwise understood as no correlation.
This is a surprise to me, as we know it takes more energy (generally speaking) to keep oneself temperate in harsh climates, and I anticipated more of a bell curve where the extremes in elevation provided for extremes in mass, however this was proven to be false.
As my study only deals with elevation and mass there is certainly room to be done for further analysis to see if there is some sort of underlying factor between elevation and mass that was overlooked by only making a direct comparison between the two. For example habitable nesting locations may be difficult for birds that aren't small enough to find crevices in cold windy mountainous regions or hot dry deserts, where it is imperative they have a location to withstand the elements
This idea was roughly considered in examining if birds distribution is along elevational gradients on a tropical mountain (Campos-Cerqueira M et al., 2017). It would seem the birds that changed distribution follow an upward pattern for elevation, hypothesized to be linked to their adjustment for rising temperatures. It would be interesting to see if this trend continues directionally to the point that we see a significantly lower distribution of birds (or bird diversity, at the least) at sea level in most tropical regions of the world.
It is also worth considering whether or not the fact that birds have insulated plumage prevents the need for a change in body mass to control for temperature, as they already have a solution by having more insulated feathers. This thought was spurred on by a study that showed these changes happening in convergent evolution for Himalayan birds in the structure of their insulating feathers (Barve S, et al., 2021) (Acharya BK, et al., 2011)
