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Phase transitions in huddling emperor penguins.
S Richter1, R Gerum1, A Winterl1
1Biophysics Group, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany.
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
|November 13, 2018
Summary
Emperor penguins conserve energy by huddling, a behavior modeled as a phase transition. This study quantifies how weather affects huddling, providing insights into colony health and climate change impacts.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Thermodynamics
- Climate Science
Background:
- Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) exhibit extreme fasting and huddling behaviors for survival in Antarctic winters.
- Huddling is crucial for emperor penguin reproductive success, but the influence of meteorological factors remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between meteorological factors and emperor penguin huddling behavior.
- To model huddling as a phase transition and develop a metric for colony health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized time-lapse imagery of an emperor penguin colony to analyze huddling patterns.
- Defined colony density as an order parameter and apparent temperature as the thermodynamic variable.
- Approximated apparent temperature using ambient temperature, wind speed, global radiation, and relative humidity.
Main Results:
- Huddling behavior was successfully modeled as a fluid-to-solid phase transition.
- Quantified meteorological impacts: wind chill (-2.9°C/(ms⁻¹)), humidity chill (-0.5°C/% rel. humidity), and solar radiation heating (0.3°C/(Wm²)).
- Determined a phase transition temperature of -48.2°C under specific conditions, indicating a baseline for colony thermal insulation.
Conclusions:
- Higher phase transition temperatures may indicate reduced thermal insulation and lower colony energy reserves.
- The approach offers a potential proxy for assessing emperor penguin colony health, integrating foraging and environmental energy expenditure.
- This method could contribute to a vital long-term monitoring system for emperor penguins facing climate change.
Keywords:
Climate variabilityCollective BehaviourEmperor PenguinEnvironmental conditionsHuddlingPhase TransitionMore Related Videos
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