La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	The optimum flight speeds of flying animals
Auteurs :	A. L. R. Thomas, Auteur ; A. Hedenstrom, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Avian Biology (29(4) DEC 1998)
Article en page(s) :	469-477
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	Conventional models of bird Eight combine metabolic, mechanical, and aerodynamic components to calculate the rate of fuel consumption and power required for flight, from which we may derive the optimal speeds Eying animals should use in different situations. These models contain the implicit assumption that the metabolic and mechanical components of power output are constant and show no systematic variation with speed. This assumption underlies the optimum flight speeds, optimum climb protocol, maximum endurance and maximum Eight range predicted by these models. Here we consider alternatives to the assumption that power is independent of speed and show that if the aerodynamic power output from a constant rate of fuel consumption varies with Eight speed, then the optima derived from current models of animal Eight need to be revised. In some cases (e.g. optimum Right speeds) the current models give answers that are only quantitatively wrong, but in some cases (e.g. optimal cruising altitude) current models give answers that are qualitatively wrong.

Lundi , mardi et jeudi de 9h à 12h et de 13h à 17h00 : ouverture au public ...