Research

Scientists have long been intrigued by the idea of understanding how species maintain energy balances and what environmental factors have the greatest influence on their abilities to do so. Avian species are particularly hard to study these potential effects on free living individuals. As part of my Master's Thesis work I utilized a laboratory setting to take individuals from the field and test the ability of mid-elevation tropical species of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia to preform work in a variety of environmental temperatures across species and body sizes. This research measured body temperature using Pit-tags, metabolic rates, evaporative water loss, and activity. We are finding that there are differences in how species cope with increasing temperatures during activity depending on body mass.