Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

11.8K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
11.8K
Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst01:25

Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst

1.8K
Hunger and thirst are fundamental physiological drives crucial for maintaining homeostasis and ensuring the survival of both humans and animals. These drives are regulated through complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and sensory receptors.
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...
1.8K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

11.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
11.6K
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

1.7K
Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
1.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Feral Cat Responses to Silver Vine: Implications for Feral Cat Management.

Journal of chemical ecology·2026
Same author

Identifying Priority Habitat for Conservation of the Australian Bustard Under Climate Change Scenarios.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Cross-Continental Analysis Shows That Disturbance Effects on Reptile Body Condition Do Not Predict Abundance Responses.

Global change biology·2025
Same author

Activity May Not Reflect the Numbers: An Assessment of Capture Rate and Population Density of Dingoes (<i>Canis familiaris</i>) Within Landscape-Scale Cell-Fencing.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Selection on female reproductive schedules in the marula fly, <i>Ceratitis cosyra</i> (Diptera: Tephritidae) affects dietary optima for female reproductive traits but not lifespan.

Frontiers in insect science·2024
Same author

Honey bees switch mechanisms to drink deep nectar efficiently.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis
08:45

Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis

Published on: November 8, 2024

1.5K

Drinking problems on a 'simple' diet: physiological convergence in nectar-feeding birds.

Susan W Nicolson1, Patricia A Fleming

  • 1Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|March 28, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Avian nectarivores like hummingbirds, sunbirds, and honeyeaters share traits but differ in managing nectar

Keywords:
Dilute nectarHoneyeatersHummingbirdsSunbirds

More Related Videos

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster
07:42

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: March 17, 2017

18.8K
A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster
06:57

A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 15, 2016

8.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis
08:45

Modeling Alcohol Consumption in Rodents Using Two-Bottle Choice Home Cage Drinking and Microstructural Analysis

Published on: November 8, 2024

1.5K
The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster
07:42

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: March 17, 2017

18.8K
A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster
06:57

A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 15, 2016

8.2K

Area of Science:

  • Comparative physiology
  • Avian biology
  • Nutritional ecology

Background:

  • Avian nectarivores (hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters) face linked energy and water regulation challenges due to nectar's composition (high sugar, excess water, low electrolytes).
  • Convergent evolution is observed in the morphology and physiology of these distinct nectarivore lineages across different continents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the physiological adaptations of avian nectarivores to the unique challenges posed by their diet.
  • To compare how different nectarivore lineages (hummingbirds vs. passerines) manage water, electrolyte, and energy balance.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of physiological traits related to water, electrolyte, and energy metabolism.
  • Examination of renal and intestinal water absorption mechanisms.
  • Assessment of responses to energy challenges and salt loading.

Main Results:

  • Hummingbirds primarily use renal water reabsorption, produce dilute urine, and resort to torpor for energy challenges.
  • Passerine nectarivores (sunbirds, honeyeaters) modulate intestinal water absorption and exhibit renal/digestive adaptations for fasting, showing greater plasticity.
  • Sunbirds and honeyeaters demonstrate better tolerance to salt loading compared to hummingbirds.

Conclusions:

  • Sunbirds and honeyeaters exhibit greater physiological plasticity in managing nectar's digestive and renal demands.
  • Hummingbirds appear more physiologically constrained by the high-water, low-electrolyte content of nectar.
  • Divergent strategies in water, electrolyte, and energy management highlight evolutionary adaptations in avian nectarivores.