Andean Bird Thermal Physiology Across a 2.6-km Altitude Gradient

Dryad hosts physiological measurements for 215 bird species collected across a 2.6-km altitude gradient in the Peruvian Andes. The data, authored by Gustavo A. Londono and last updated in 2020, was used to test hypotheses about thermoregulatory costs limiting altitude distributions. It includes metrics such as thermal conductance, body temperature, and lower critical temperature.

Use Cases

• Model energy costs of thermoregulation for lowland species in highland climates using thermal conductance and lower critical temperature data.
• Analyze correlations between altitude and physiological adaptations like body temperature and thermal conductance across 215 species.
• Test hypotheses about upslope dispersal limits by comparing measured physiological traits against heat-budget model predictions.

Strengths

• Data covers a substantial sample of 215 bird species.
• Measurements are taken across a significant 2.6-km altitude gradient in the Peruvian Andes.
• Includes multiple specific physiological variables: thermal conductance, body temperature, and lower critical temperature.

Limitations

• The dataset's sample size of 215 species may not represent all Andean forest bird diversity.
• Data is from a single geographic region (Peruvian Andes), limiting generalizability to other mountain systems.
• The last update was in 2020, so the data does not reflect recent ecological changes.

Provenance

Source

Dryad

Collection Method

Field measurements of thermal physiology for bird species across an altitude gradient.

Freshness

Last updated 2020-06-24.

Geography

Peruvian Andes