Rates of oxygen consumption in four species of seabird at Palmer Station, Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

1. 1. We determined standard metabolic rates (SMR) of wild-caught adults of the Adelie penguin, southern giant fulmar, blue-eyed shag, and South Polar skua at Palmer Station, Antarctica, during January and February 1981. Oxygen consumption was measured volumetrically in a closed system at temperatures between 2 and 12°C. 2. 2. Mean SMR varied between 0.82 1 O 2/kg per hr for male fulmars and 1.301 O 2/kg per hr for unsexed adult skuas. Values were 174–198% of those predicted by the Lasiewski-Dawson equation for nonpasserines. 3. 3. The SMR of the Adelie penguin was considerably higher than that reported in other studies and higher than most values for other species of penguins. 4. 4. Our measurements of oxygen consumption agree with some estimates of metabolism based upon loss of mass by fasting birds during incubation.