Metabolic rate, brain mass, and body temperature in evolution of birds: the influence of

geological time of principal groups divergence

Valery M. Gavrilov1,2, Tatiana B. Golubeva1
1
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State
University, Moscow 119991, Russia
2
Zvenigorod Biological Station, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991,
Russia.

This study contains an analysis of basal metabolic rate (BMR) in 1000 species and brain mass in
1023 bird species. The aim was to establish how metabolic scaling and brain mass varies
between the main groups of birds during evolution. The data for all the considered groups were
combined and the common exponents in the allometric relationship between the BMR and body
weight was established as b = 0.6866, and for brain mass and body weight as b = 0.6162.
Reduced to the common slope and in relation to BMR and passerine brain mass (which are taken
as one), the relative metabolic rate and relative mass brain forms the following series: BMR -
Neognathae - Passeriformes - 1.00, Neognathae - Non-Passeriformes - 0.811, Palaeognathae –
0.654, Brain mass - Neognathae - Passeriformes – 1.00, Neognathae - Non-Passeriformes –
0.794, Palaeognathae – 0.410. The main finding is that the metabolic rate and brain mass in the
three main groups of birds consistently increases as the geological time of the group’s divergence
approaches the present tines. In parallel, the average body temperature in the group rises, the
duration of sleep decreases and the duration of activity increases. BMR and brain mass in a taxon
correlates with its evolutionary age: the later a clade diverged, the higher is its metabolic rate and
brain mass the longer is its activity period. The evolution of metabolic scaling, brain mass
scaling, body temperature, sleep duration, and activity during the development of avian life
forms is demonstrated, allowing for a better understanding of the underlying principles of
endothermy formation.