Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Temperature and humidity dynamics of cutaneous and respiratory evaporation in pigeons,Columba livia

  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Using a two-compartment metabolism chamber, we measured oxygen consumption simultaneously with evaporative water loss (EWL) separately from the skin and respiratory tract of pigeons exposed to various air temperatures and humidities. Both respiratory (REWL) and cutaneous (CEWL) water loss increased markedly with increasing air temperature, and latent heat loss through both routes dissipated large fractions of internal heat production during mild heat stress. CEWL as a percentage of total EWL significantly exceeded REWL (60±1.5%) at thermoneutral air temperatures, and was also a substantial fraction of total EWL at lower and higher temperatures. Both REWL and CEWL were inverse functions (apparently linear) of ambient humidity at 20 and 30 °C. These observations verify suggestions by other investigators that CEWL in birds plays a greater role in water balance and in counteracting heat stress than was previously believed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

EWL :

evaporative water loss

CEWL :

cutaneous EWL

REWL :

Respiratory EWL

\(\dot V_{O_2 }\) :

Oxygen consumption (cm3 g−1 h−1)

\(\dot Q_m\) :

metabolic heat production per unit external surface area (W/m2)

\(\rho _{va}\) :

Water vapor density (g/m3)

References

  • Appleyard RF (1979) Cutaneous and respiratory water losses in the ring dove,Streptopelia risoria. MS thesis, Washington State University

  • Bernstein MH (1971a) Cutaneous and respiratory evaporation in the painted quail,Excalfactoria chinensis, during ontogeny of thermoregulation. Comp Biochem Physiol 38A:611–617

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein MH (1971b) Cutaneous water loss in small birds. Condor 73:468–469

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein MH (1982) Temperature regulation in exercising birds. In: Taylor CR, Johansen K, Bolis L (eds) A companion to animal physiology. Cambridge University Press Cambridge London New York, pp 189–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein MH, Hudson DM, Stearns JM, Hoyt JW (1977) Measurement of evaporative water loss in small animals by dewpoint hygrometry. J Appl Physiol: Respir Environ Exercise Physiol 43:382–385

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouverot P, Hildwein G, Le Goff D (1974) Evaporative water loss, respiratory pattern, gas exchange, and acid-base balance during thermal panting in Pekin ducks exposed to moderate heat. Respir Physiol 21:255–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Calder WA, King JR (1974) Thermal and caloric relations of birds. In: King JR, Farner DS (eds) Avian biology, vol 4. Academic Press, New York London, pp 260–393

    Google Scholar 

  • Calder WA, Schmidt-Nielsen K (1966) Evaporative cooling and respiratory alkalosis in the pigeon. Proc Natl Acad Sci (Wash) 55:750–756

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell GS (1977) An introduction to environmental biophysics Springer, New York Heidelberg Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson WR (1982) Evaporative losses of water by birds. Comp Biochem Physiol 71A:495–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson WR, Bennett AF (1973) Roles of metabolic level and temperature regulation in the adjustment of western plumed pigeons (Lophophaps ferruginea) to desert conditions. Comp Biochem Physiol 44A:249–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Depocas F, Hart JS (1957) Use of the Pauling oxygen analyzer for measurement of oxygen consumption of animals in open-circuit systems and in a short-lag, closed-circuit apparatus. J Appl Physiol 10:388–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Graf R (1980) Diurnal changes of thermoregulatory functions in pigeons I. Effector mechanisms. Pflüger's Arch 386:173–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Hattingh J (1972) A comparative study of transepidermal water loss through the skin of various animals. Comp Biochem Physiol 43A:715–718

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasiewski RC, Acosta AL, Bernstein MH (1966a) Evaporative water loss in birds I. Characteristics of the open flow method of determination and their relation to estimates of thermoregulatory ability. Comp Biochem Physiol 19:445–457

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasiewski RC, Acosta AL, Bernstein MH (1966b) Evaporative water loss in birds II. A modified method for determination by direct weighing. Comp Biochem Physiol 19:459–470

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasiewski RC, Bernstein MH, Ohmart RD (1971) Cutaneous water loss in the roadrunner and poor-will. Condor 73:470–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee P, Schmidt-Nielsen K (1971) Respiratory and cutaneous evaporation in the zebra finch: effect on water balance. Am J Physiol 220:1598–1605

    Google Scholar 

  • Marder J, Ben-Asher J (1983) Cutaneous water evaporation I. Its significance in heat stressed birds. Comp Biochem Physiol 75A:425–431

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez JM, Bernstein MH (1976) Compound ventilation during thermal panting in pigeons: a possible mechanism for minimizing hypocapnic alkalosis. Fed Proc 35:2562–2565

    Google Scholar 

  • Rautenberg W, May B, Arabin G (1980) Behavioral and autonomic temperature regulation in competition with food intake and water balance of pigeons. Pflüger's Arch 384:253–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards SA (1976) Evaporative water loss in domestic fowls and its partition in relation to ambient temperature. J Agric Sci Camb 87:527–532

    Google Scholar 

  • Skadhauge E (1981) Osmoregulation in birds. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith RM (1969) Cardiovascular, respiratory, temperature and evaporative water loss responses of pigeons to varying degrees of heat stress. PhD dissertation, Indiana University

  • van Kampen M (1971) Some aspects of thermoregulation in the white leghorn fowl. Int J Biometeor 15:244–246

    Google Scholar 

  • van Kampen M (1976) Evaporative temperature regulation in birds. In: Johnson HD (ed) Progress in animals biometeorology. Progress in meteorology, vol 1, Pt 1. Swets and Zeitlinger BV, Amsterdam, pp 158–166

    Google Scholar 

  • van Kampen M, Ramijn C (1970) Energy balance and heat regulation in the white leghorn fowl. In: Schurch A, Wenk C (eds) Energetics of farm animals. Eur Assoc Anim Prod Publ#13, pp 213–216

  • Walsberg GE, King JR (1978) The relationship of the external surface area of birds to skin surface area and body mass. J Exp Biol 76:185–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster MD, Campbell GS, King JR (1985) Cutaneous resistance to water-vapor diffusion in pigeons and the role of the plumage. Physiol Zool 58:58–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch WR (1980) Evaporative water loss from endotherms in thermally and hygrically complex environments: an empirical approach for interspecific comparisons. J Comp Physiol 139:135–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Withers PC (1983) Energy, water, and solute balance of the ostrichStruthio camelus. Physiol Zool 56:568–579

    Google Scholar 

  • Zucker A (1980) Procedural and anatomical considerations of the determination of cutaneous water loss in squamate reptiles. Copeia 1980:425–439

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Marcus D. Webster

    Present address: Department of Avian Sciences, University of California at Davis, 9561, Davis, California, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Washington State University, 99164, Pullman, Washington, USA

    Marcus D. Webster & James R. King

Authors
  1. Marcus D. Webster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James R. King
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Webster, M.D., King, J.R. Temperature and humidity dynamics of cutaneous and respiratory evaporation in pigeons,Columba livia . J Comp Physiol B 157, 253–260 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692370

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692370

Keywords

Search

Navigation