title: Cardiorespiratory adjustments of homing pigeons to steady wind tunnel flight.
abstract: We made detailed cardiorespiratory measurements from homing pigeons during quiet rest and steady wind tunnel flight. Our pigeons satisfied their 17.4-fold increase in oxygen consumption during flight with a 7.4-fold increase in cardiac output (Q) and a 2.4-fold increase in blood oxygen extraction. Q was increased primarily by increasing heart rate sixfold. Comparisons between our study and those from the only other detailed cardiorespiratory study on flying birds reveal a number of similarities and important differences. Although the avian allometric equations from this earlier study accurately predicted the flight Q of our pigeons, this was primarily due to due to compensating discrepancies in their heart rate and stroke volume predictions. Additionally, the measured heart mass (MH)-specific Q (Q/MH) of our pigeons during wind tunnel flight was about 22% lower than the estimated value. Compared to running mammals in previous studies, the 1.65-fold Q of our pigeons is consistent with their larger heart mass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA. chervil@verizon.net
authors.forename: Grant W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Dee A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rigoni
authors.forename: Alexia D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mascilli
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Schnepp
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D010856:Columbidae / Q000502:physiology*; D005426:Flight, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009929:Organ Size; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D013318:Stroke Volume
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen