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Field metabolic rate and body water turnover of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in Australia
Author(s) -
WINSTANLEY ROY K.,
BUTTEMER WILLIAM A.,
SAUNDERS GLEN
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
mammal review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.574
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2907
pISSN - 0305-1838
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2907.2003.00015.x
Subject(s) - vulpes , zoology , body water , doubly labeled water , tritiated water , water body , energetics , biology , temperate climate , turnover , body weight , energy expenditure , ecology , endocrinology , environmental science , physics , tritium , nuclear physics , predation , management , economics , environmental engineering
We measured the daily energy expenditure of free‐living red foxes Vulpes vulpes occupying a temperate region of New South Wales, Australia. Field metabolic rate (FMR) and body water turnover were estimated using doubly labelled water. In autumn, male body mass ranged from 5 to 6.1 kg (mean 5.6 kg) and their FMRs averaged 2328 kJ/day. Female body mass in autumn ranged from 4.9 to 6.6 kg (mean 5.4 kg) and their FMRs averaged 1681 kJ/day. Body water influx for males and females was 314 and 251 mL/day, respectively. Body composition of each fox was analysed after the field measurements and revealed a significant correlation between body water content, as estimated from tritiated water space, and body lipids ( r 2 = 0.72). This supports the use of body water determination as a potentially non‐destructive method to gauge body condition.