This research planning grant for women focuses on the examination of the direct effects of climate change on the physiology and behavior of birds. The specific aims are to delineate the limits, functional ranges, and interrelationships of thermogenic and locomotor capacities of the house finch in relation to various climatic conditions. The principal objectives of this research are: 1) determination of the effects of wind and ambient temperature on energy metabolism, thermoregulation and locomotion of the house finch, and 2) comparisons of the energy expenditure for thermoregulation of sedentary and active birds under various temperature and wind conditions. House finches undergo dramatic seasonal changes in thermogenic endurance. Thus, the relationship between regulatory thermogenesis and exercise-generated heat during winter and summer seasons affords an interesting comparison. This design and the testing of the hypotheses will define the limits and functional ranges of metabolic, thermoregulatory and locomotor capacities of the house finch under more ecologically significant temperature and convective conditions than previous laboratory investigations. This information is critical for 1) determining how close these birds are operating to the limits of their functional capacities in nature, 2) providing a mechanistic link between shifts in activity patterns in response to changes in thermal environments, and 3) predicting the survival potential of these birds in different thermal environments. The understanding of the links between physical environments and individuals is of great theoretical significance. Such individual-based models can be used to predict responses at the population and community level of organization. This is particularly relevant for assessing predictions concerning global climate change, which anticipate major shifts in abundance and distribution of animal populations. Thus, individual-based models as used in this study can make significant contributions as initial steps toward an understanding of the driving forces of larger-scale changes in population dynamics.
