ecology assignment Experiment Results Conclusion 代写
What are the energy costs of locomotion?
Experiment
Knut Schmidt-Nielsen wondered whether there were general principles governing the energy
costs of different types of locomotion among diverse animal species. To answer this question, he
drew on his own studies as well as the scientific literature for measurements made when animals
swam in water flumes, ran on treadmills, or flew in wind tunnels. He converted all of these data
to a common set of units and graphed the results.
Results
All three modes of locomotion had a higher energy cost for smaller animals and a lower energy
cost for larger animals. When animals of similar sizes were compared with each other, running
had the highest energy cost, followed by flying, then swimming with the lowest energy cost.
Figure
Figure 1
ecology assignment Experiment Results Conclusion 代写
This graph plots the energy cost, in calories per kilogram of body mass per meter travelled,
against body mass for animals specialized for running, flying, and swimming. Note that both
axes are plotted on logarithmic scales.
Conclusion
For most animals of a given body mass, swimming is the most energy-efficient and running the
least energy-efficient mode of locomotion. In addition, a small animal typically expends more
energy per kilogram of body mass than a large animal, regardless of the type of locomotion used.
Source
K. Schmidt-Nielsen, Locomotion: Energy cost of swimming, flying, and running, Science 177:
222 – 228 (1972).
What if?
If you plotted the efficiency of a duck as a swimmer on this graph, where might you expect it to
fall? How do you expect that to compare to the efficiency of a duck as a flyer?
ecology assignment Experiment Results Conclusion 代写
