Managing energetic expenditures is one of the most important aspects for an animal to be successful. Despite its essential role in animal behavior and ecology, measuring energetic expenditure in animals has been challenging. With new biologging devices and analytical methods that can translate heart rate, body temperature, and movement patterns into a measurement of energetic expenditure, this is changing. In addition to collecting energetic data from animals in the field, we use studies of bats flying in wind tunnels to develop better models for measuring flight dynamics and energy expenditure through 3D accelerometers.
Our goal is it be able to understand an animal's instantaneous energetic expenditure and the physiological strategies they use to minimize these costs. By measuring heart rate of free flying tropical bats, I've found that slow their heart rate in cycles to save energy each day, and that lowering heart rate despite high body temperatures may be a common strategy in the tropics.
Our goal is it be able to understand an animal's instantaneous energetic expenditure and the physiological strategies they use to minimize these costs. By measuring heart rate of free flying tropical bats, I've found that slow their heart rate in cycles to save energy each day, and that lowering heart rate despite high body temperatures may be a common strategy in the tropics.