Metabolic responses at sub-thermoneutral temperatures in captive common waxbills (Estrilda astrild)

Abstract

Understanding how endotherms manage energy expenditure at sub-thermoneutral temperatures is crucial for predicting their physiological flexibility and adaptive potential. This study investigated the metabolic responses of captive-bred common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) to decreasing ambient temperatures, with a focus on three questions: whether basal metabolic rate (BMR) predicts standard metabolic rate (SMR), how consistent individual metabolic responses are, and whether waxbills employ cold-induced energy-saving mechanisms. We found that BMR did not reliably predict SMR, underscoring the limits of BMR as a proxy under ecologically relevant conditions. SMR showed moderate repeatability across individuals, but variation was mainly due to baseline metabolic level rather than slope differences in thermal reaction norms. A two-breakpoint model best described the relationship between temperature and metabolic rate, with a marked decline in SMR below ~18.8{degrees}C. This decrease, along with observed reductions in core body temperature in some individuals, reveals an energy-saving strategy involving shallow hypothermia at relatively mild sub-thermoneutral temperatures. These findings suggest that energy-saving mechanisms may be intrinsic to the species rather than purely plastic responses. Overall, our results highlight both the limitations of BMR and the importance of measuring metabolic responses across thermal gradients to detect subtle but ecologically relevant hypometabolic strategies.