Research is proposed to develop the methods needed to use a portable infra-red gas analyzer (IRGA), presently used by plant physiologists to measure photosynthetic rates in the field, as a means of obtaining rapid and reliable measurements of metabolic rates (MR) of avian eggs under field conditions. If this new use of an old method is successful it will allow biologists to obtain reliable measurements of MR without making a significant impact on the populations being studied; eggs (or other organisms for the matter) will not have to be taken back to a lab to obtain the desired data. This capability will have a significant effect on design and execution of a wide range of field ecological experiments.//
