10.5061/DRYAD.V34FD09
Møller, Anders Pape
University of Paris-Sud
Laursen, Karsten
Aarhus University
Data from: Large feet are beneficial for eiders Somateria mollissima
Dryad
dataset
2019
Somateria mollissima
duck’s feet
webbed feet
Uropygial gland
eider
Holocene
2020-07-21T00:00:00Z
2019-10-21T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5384
471538 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Many waterbirds have fully (totipalmate) or partially webbed (palmate)
feet that are used for locomotion in aquatic environments. 2. If webbed
feet and wings both contribute to efficient diving, we predicted a
positive association between the area of webbed feet and the size of the
frontal locomotor apparatus (wing area, heart mass and breast muscle,
after adjusting for any partial effects of body size). We predicted that
individuals able to acquire more and better quality food due to larger
webbed feet should have larger livers with higher concentrations of
fat-soluble antioxidants such as vitamin E, and invest more in immune
function as reflected by the relative size of the uropygial gland than
individuals with small webbed feed. 3. Here we examine if the area of
webbed feet is correlated with locomotion, diet and body condition in a
sea-duck, the eider (Somateria mollissima). We analyzed an extensive data
base of 233 eiders shot in Danish waters and at Åland, Finland during
winter and early spring. 4. Eiders with larger webbed feet had a larger
locomotor apparatus, but did not have larger body size, they had larger
uropygial glands that waterproof the plumage, they had larger beak volume
and larger gizzards, and they had higher body condition. 5. These findings
imply that eiders with large webbed feet benefitted in terms of
locomotion, feeding and reproduction.
Swimming-Feet-DataAll data
Denmark