¿Es igual la cantidad de secreción de la glándula uropigia en aves de distintos ambientes?

CHIALE M.C.; ARCHUBY D.I.; MONTALTI D.

IBIME, Buenos Aires

Congreso; XI Jornadas de la Sociedad Argentina de Biología; 2009

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

The uropygial gland is a sebaceous glandular complex. The uropygial secretion protects the physical structure of feathers and helps with the waterproof function of plumage. Taking into account the different environments we assume that aquatic birds would produce a large amount of secretion than terrestrial birds to keep them isolated from a hostile environment. The purpose of our study was to analyze the mass of the uropygial secretion relative to the body and glandular masses in birds of different environments. Glands were removed, weighed and squeezed to obtain the secretion and then we calculated the percentage of the body and glandular masses represented by the secretion mass. We noticed that the glandular mass relative to body mass was greater in aquatic birds. The amount of secretion produced is influenced by several factors such as, the environment, the amount and quality of plumage and the surface/body mass relation. This last characteristic determines that smaller birds (high surface/body mass relation) produce a great amount of secretion regarding their body mass, independently of the environment. Thus, we state that the amount of the uropygial secretion and its relationship with the environment is not as expected and would be related to the amount and quality of the feathers that protect.