Wildlife Test 3 Study Guide

LECTURE EXAM 3 STUDY GUIDE

WFS 431/531 Wildlife Physiology and Nutrition

Fall 2023

10. Migration

  • Why does migration occur even though it can be costly?
    • Better breeding and more food resources
  • Why are large amounts of corticosterone good, but too much would be a huge problem for migrating birds (hint: think glucose needs and effects of high corticosterone concentrations on muscle mass).
    • High levels of Cort promotes fatty acid mobilization which allows for more fat to be utilized, but too much would be bad because it would decrease protein storage and make their Muscles Weaken
  • Be sure and understand all the effects of glucocorticoids and why they are important for migration in addition to surviving stressful situations.
    • Mobilization of AA from Muscle Tissues (Gluconeogenesis)
    • Decreased Glucose Utilization
    • Reduces Protein Storage
    • Increased Fatty Acid Mobilization
  • According to the following paper:

Cornelius, J. M., T. Boswell, S. Jenni-Eiermann, C. W. Breuner, M. Ramenofsky. 2013. Contributions of endocrinology to the migration life history of birds. General and Comparative Endocrinology 190: 47-60.

  • What 2 hormones are thought to be primary drivers for migration (corticosterone and prolactin)?
    • Corticosterone and prolactin
  • What is their role in getting ready for migration? However, probably more of a suite of hormones involved and this paper includes many hormones likely involved. For example we didn’t talk much about leptin or neuropeptide Y, but just know there are other hormones involved in feeding decisions.
    • Prolactin increases with photoperiod in the spring and is known to stimulate fattening and migratory behavior
      • Increased food intake
    • Corticosterone plays a large role in departure decisions
      • Mostly when food resources are getting low
  • How are corticosterone and reproduction function related when birds arrive on the breeding ground. Great example in this paper with the mountain white-crowned sparrows.
    • Inclement weather can induce elevations in plasma corticosterone of white-crowned sparrows
    • Corticosterone levels decline only after individuals commence breeding
  • According to the following paper:

Long, J.A., and R.L. Holberton. 2004. Corticosterone secretion, energetic condition, and a test of the migration modulation hypothesis in the hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), a short-distance migrant. The Auk 121: 1094-1102.

What is the migration modulation hypothesis?

  • Baseline Corticosterone is often elevated and the response to capture and handling is often reduced

Where (between low and high) is the best concentration of corticosterone for a bird getting ready to migrate? And Why?

  • High Corticosterone is important to initiating migratory fattening
  • According to the following paper:

Lohmus, M., R. Sandberg, R. L. Holberton, and F.R. Moore. 2003. Corticosterone levels in relation to migratory readiness in red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54: 233-239.

  • How and why did corticosterone concentrations affect direction of orientation of the red-eyed vireos?
    • Those with higher concentrations of corticosterone showed a seasonally appropriate southwesterly direction
      • Low mass loss
    • Those with lower corticosterone levels reoriented toward NNW
      • High mass loss
    • Strong stress response is bad because it will make you lose weight
  • According to the following paper:

Holberton, R.L., T. Boswell, and M.J. Hunter. 2008. Circulating prolactin and corticosterone concentrations during the development of migratory condition in the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis. General and Comparative Endocrinology 155: 641-649.

  • What is Zugunruhe?
    • The experience of migratory restlessness
  • What has to occur before successful migration?
    • Food intake, body mass, fat score, and migratory activity
    • Food intake and fat score may be more important?
  • What 2 hormones did they find were related to these changes?
    • Corticosterone and prolactin
  • What is photorefractoriness and how does prolactin affect this?
    • Photorefractoriness - the loss of responsiveness to photoperiod
    • Prolactin plays a role in regulating migratory feeding and fattening
      • A photostimulated increase in circulating prolactin rising to a seasonal peak associated with the development of photorefractoriness

11. Feather Molt

  • Why is high corticosterone a bad idea during feather molt.
  • High Corticosterone causes feather growth to be decreased and for protein storage to go down
  • Birds need good feathers for migration, and if they were forced to molt they would have to use a lot of energy to regrow feathers

12. Nutrition

  • What are the first and second laws of thermodynamics?
    • Energy Cannot be Created or Destroyed, It can Only change forms
    • Entropy always Increases
  • What are essential amino acids and why? (don’t have to name them, just understand why they are important)
    • They are major constituents of the animal’s body
    • Makes up cell walls, enzymes, hormones, etc.
  • What is the relationship between cats, taurine, and meat? Why is this important for cat nutrition.
    • Cats cannot produce taurine
    • They get it from meat
  • What is the relationship between calcium and phosphorus?
    • Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio→ 2:1
    • This is their ratio in bones
    • Phosphorus important to ATP
  • Where do you find high potassium concentrations in the environment? Why do they think Sika deer in Maryland had low potassium concentrations that lead to a drastic population decline?
    • High in Growing Plants
    • The area had a Potassium deficiency in the plants, leading the population to decline
  • Why is the usual ratio of calcium to phosphorus in bone? Why is that important?
    • 2:1, Important to Homeostasis
  • Why is sodium appetite higher in wild herbivores during the spring and summer? Do carnivores have sodium deficiencies? Why or why not?
    • Sodium Loss is higher in the summer do to sweating, so they must eat more sodium to make up for it
    • Carnivores do not struggle with sodium deficiency because they get it from animal flesh and blood
  • What is the relationship between selenium and white muscle disease?
    • Muscle Myopathy is caused by selenium deficiency
    • selenium deficient in eastern soils, but high in deserts
  • What are the fat soluble vitamins? How does solubility relate to daily requirements?
    • Vitamins A, D, E, K
    • Important to Homeostasis and Growth
  • Which vitamin is important for calcium homeostasis?
    • Vitamin D
  • Where does vitamin D come from? Relationship to naked mole rats?
    • Comes from UV irradiation and Dietary Sources
  • Which vitamin is required for normal blood clotting?
    • Vitamin K
  • Can B vitamins be stored in an animal? Why or why not?
    • Not Stored because they are Water Soluble and get “flushed out”
  • What are essential fatty acids? (don’t’ have to name them, just have a general understanding of what they are).What is meant by saturated and unsaturated fatty acids? What is an omega 3 fatty acid? What does the 3 mean?
    • Can’t be produced by the animal so must come from the diet
    • Saturated: No Double Bonds, Unsaturated: Double Bonds
    • Omega 3 is a Polyunsaturated Fat
    • Omega 3 has a double bond located three carbons from the end (so the three tells the double bond is located)
  • According to the following paper:

Johnson, H.E., V.C. Bleich, and P.R. Krausman. 2007. Mineral deficiencies in Tule elk, Owens Valley, California. Journal of Wildlife Disease 43:61-74.

  • What are some clinical signs of copper (Cu) deficiency in ruminants?
    • Loss of hair pigment
    • Brittle pelage
    • Lack of thriftiness
    • Stilted gait
    • Broken antlers
  • What is the difference between a primary and secondary mineral deficiency?
    • Primary - an actual deficiency of a mineral
    • Secondary - an overabundance of one mineral that causes a deficiency of another mineral
  • How does the level of molybdenum (Mo) possibly affect the level of copper (Cu) in tule elk?
    • Molybdenum is an antagonist of Cu
    • High levels of Mo reduce the Cu in the body
  • Do you think this herd should receive mineral supplementation? Include in your answer whether or not the herd is native to the area and how reintroductions may need to consider mineral content of forage?
    • This herd is not native to the area so I don't believe they should be provided with supplementation because the environment should not be altered for just one species. altering the environment may negatively affect native species
  • According to the following paper:

Jones, L.R., J.L. Black, C.M. White, N.P. Johnston, M..E. McGee, S.W. Donaue, and D.L. Eggett. 2010. Effects of calcium-loading on egg production in ring-necked pheasants. Journal of Wildlife Management 74: 1295-1300.

  • What is calcium loading?
    • Pheasants are able to store calcium in their Medullary Bone, which they mobilize later for egg shell synthesis
  • Why might that explain historical pheasant introductions (success early and then population drops)? Where does calcium for eggshells come from?
    • Calcium Loading may account for short-term persistence of captive pheasants induced on calcium-poor soils, followed by their eventual population failure
    • Calcium comes from Medullary Bone
  • According to the following paper:

DelGiudice, G.D., R.O. Peterson, and U.S. Seal. 1991. Differences in urinary chemistry profiles of moose on Isle Royale during winter. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 27: 407-416.

  • How did they get samples for physiological testing?
    • They collected snow
  • What is creatinine?
    • A waste product that comes from the digestion of protein and the breakdown of muscles
  • Why were physiological measurements considered as a ratio with creatinine?
    • It measures kidney function
  • Why did urea nitrogen increase in animals with low nutrition and poor health?
    • Reduced dietary protein intake, increased reabsorption and recycling of urea
    • Negative energy balance and exhausted fat reserves are associated with accelerated endogenous protein degradation and increased urinary excretion of urea nitrogen

More Nutrition and Nutritional Indicators

  • What is basal metabolic rate? What is a general relationship among high metabolic rates and food supply, digestibility or defense of food?
    • Basal metabolic rate - the metabolic rate when the animal is doing absolutely nothing
    • Species with easily digestible and Abundant food: HIGH BMR
    • Species with low food availability, poorly digestible, or heavily defended: LOW BMR
  • How do protein requirements change with age? Sex? Antler production?
    • Decrease with age, Lower for women, High during Antler Production
  • When are gestation costs highest? How do energy and protein costs of egg production relate to clutch size and laying intervals in birds?
    • Gestation Costs highest before birth when lactation begins
    • Everyday Layers: High Requirement
    • Non-frequent Layers: low requirement
  • How do birds digest food?
    • with a Gizzard for grinding food, SI for enzymatic digestion, and Paired Ceca for fermentation
  • What is the cecum used for?
    • Fermentation
  • Which type of birds have more developed ceca?
    • Carnivorous Birds
  • What are foregut versus hindgut fermenters?
    • Foregut fermenters - fermentation happens before the stomach (ruminants)
    • Hindgut fermenters - fermentation happens after the stomach (in the cecum?)
  • What is a monogastric stomach?
    • A single compartment stomach
  • What kind of species have what kind of fermentation?
    • Deer and cattle (ruminants) are foregut fermenters
    • Rhinos, rabbits, some rodents, koalas and horses are hindgut fermenters
  • What are the parts in order of a ruminant digestive system?
  • How is intestinal length related to food habits?
  • What does copraphagy mean? Why is it important for some species?
    • Eating feces
    • In rabbits - they cannot absorb all of the nutrients the first go around, so they eat their poop and absorb the nutrients the second time
  • What are typical protein requirements for white-tailed deer at different sexes and life stages?
    • 9.9% during antler growth
    • males higher than females
    • Yearlings: 5.8%
    • Fawn growth: less than 9%= Bad, 10-13%=Okay, 13-20%=Best
  • What are concentrate selectors? Intermediate feeders?
    • Concentrate: Select diers of at least 75% shrubs, trees, stems, foliage, fruits or leaves (picky eaters)
    • Intermediate feeders: Mix of Concentrate and Grazers