TY - JOUR
T1 - Metabolic heat loss in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) differs with stage of moult and between habitats
AU - Paterson, William D.
AU - Chaise, Laureline L.
AU - McKnight, Chris
AU - Currie, John I.
AU - Thompson, Dave
AU - Ancel, André
AU - Gilbert, Caroline
AU - McCafferty, Dominic J.
N1 - The overall study was funded by the Institut Polaire Français Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV Program 1037 HENERGES), a doctoral fellowship (LC) of French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (Graduate School 227 of National Museum of Natural History, University Pierre and Marie Curie), a doctoral fellowship (WP) from the University of St Andrews and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) and equipment funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.
PY - 2022/2/1
Y1 - 2022/2/1
N2 - The moult in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) represents an especially energetically demanding period during which seals must maintain high skin temperature to facilitate complete replacement of body fur and upper dermis. In this study, heat flux from the body surface was measured on 18 moulting southern elephant seals to estimate metabolic heat loss in three different habitats (beach, wallow and vegetation). Temperature data loggers were also deployed on 10 southern elephant seals to monitor skin surface temperature. On average, heat loss of animals on the beach was greater than in wallows or vegetation, and greater in wallows than in vegetation. Heat loss across all habitats during the moult equated to 1.8 x resting metabolic rate (RMR). The greatest heat loss of animals was recorded in the beach habitat during the late moult, that represented 2.3 x RMR. Mass loss was 3.6 ± 0.3 kg day-1, resulting in changes in body condition as the moult progressed. As body condition declined, skin surface temperature also decreased, suggesting that as animals approached the end of the moult blood flow to the skin surface was no longer required for hair growth.
AB - The moult in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) represents an especially energetically demanding period during which seals must maintain high skin temperature to facilitate complete replacement of body fur and upper dermis. In this study, heat flux from the body surface was measured on 18 moulting southern elephant seals to estimate metabolic heat loss in three different habitats (beach, wallow and vegetation). Temperature data loggers were also deployed on 10 southern elephant seals to monitor skin surface temperature. On average, heat loss of animals on the beach was greater than in wallows or vegetation, and greater in wallows than in vegetation. Heat loss across all habitats during the moult equated to 1.8 x resting metabolic rate (RMR). The greatest heat loss of animals was recorded in the beach habitat during the late moult, that represented 2.3 x RMR. Mass loss was 3.6 ± 0.3 kg day-1, resulting in changes in body condition as the moult progressed. As body condition declined, skin surface temperature also decreased, suggesting that as animals approached the end of the moult blood flow to the skin surface was no longer required for hair growth.
KW - Marine mammals
KW - Pinnipeds
KW - Heat loss
KW - Skin temperature
KW - Moult
KW - Thermoregulation
U2 - 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103183
DO - 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103183
M3 - Article
SN - 0306-4565
VL - 104
JO - Journal of Thermal Biology
JF - Journal of Thermal Biology
M1 - 103183
ER -
