An article on how zebra finches burn fat for hydration written by a team of scientists from the Jagiellonian University Institute of Environmental Sciences was distinguished by the prestigious research journal.
As stated by the authors of the article, Dr hab. Joanna Rutkowska, Dr Edyta Sadowska, Prof. Mariusz Cichoń and Dr Ulf Bauchinger, “In birds, water shortage impairs reproductive investment and may set limits to potential habitat, flight range or flight altitude during migration”. Yet, under extreme conditions some animals are able to hydrate their bodies with metabolic water produced by consuming their own tissues. The researchers conducted an experiment studying the way in which metabolism of zebra finches – a species of small birds inhabiting Australia and neighbouring islands – copes with the shortage of water. The results suggest, among other findings, that burnt fat (instead of protein) can be the main source of metabolic water in birds.
The discovery was described in the article “Increased fat catabolism sustains water balance during fasting in zebra finches” published and chosen as an editor’s choice by the Journal of Experimental Biology, a leading primary research journal in the field of comparative physiology.
The article is available here.
