Abstract
The most conspicuous phenomenon in the process of heat acclimation of the rock pigeon (Columba livia) is the remarkable increase in its capacity to evaporate water from its skin. This cooling route becomes the chief thermoregulatory means in the heat-acclimated (HAc) pigeon and is responsible for its ability to maintain normal body temperatures even at extremely high ambient temperatures of 60 oC. Since the avian skin lacks sweat glands or any other homologous functional structure, cutaneous water evaporation (CWE) must occur along a different pathway than that known in mammals. The aim of this review is to characterize the CWE mechanism in the rock pigeon from three aspects: the regulatory pathway, the driving force, and the water passageway to the skin surface. CWE is controlled by the adrenergic system at various levels, both peripherally and at higher levels. It was found that nonspecific b-adrenergic inhibition (by propranolol) increases CWE in the HAc pigeon, but not in the non-acclimated (NAc) pige...
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