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First published online March 31, 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 1469-1480 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01559

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The ontogenetic changes in the thermal properties of blubber from Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

Robin C. Dunkin¹, William A. McLellan¹, James E. Blum² and D. Ann Pabst^1,*

¹ Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
² Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA

View larger version (6K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. A is the blubber sample site used for thermal measurements on an ontogenetic series of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (T. truncatus).

View larger version (23K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Heat flux chamber showing placement of thermocouples and heat flux discs. Figure is not drawn to scale and the size of the thermocouples and heat flux discs are exaggerated for clarity.

View larger version (24K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. (A) Example data trace of temperature measurements from one experiment. Probes 1–3 were placed at the interface between the heat source and the standard material, probes 4–6 were placed between the standard material and the deep blubber surface, and probes 7–9 were placed at the interface between the epidermis and air (see Fig. 2). (B) Example data trace of heat flux values from the deep and superficial heat flux discs from the same experiment. For both traces, only data from the final 30 min of the experiment were used in the thermal calculations.

View larger version (13K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Fetal blubber (A) thickness and (B) lipid content plotted against total body length in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (T. truncatus).

View larger version (19K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Percent lipid content as a function of blubber depth in T. truncatus. Solid trend lines indicate life history categories where there was a significant linear relationship between lipid content and blubber thickness (fetus and adult). Trend lines are not shown for categories where there was not a significant relationship between lipid content and blubber thickness.

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Blubber thermal conductivity k values for T. truncatus calculated using (A) the standard material method, (B) heat flux values from the superficial disc, and (C) heat flux values from the deep disc. Life history categories are (F) fetus, (N) neonate, (J) juvenile, (SA) sub-adult, (A) adult, (PF) pregnant female and (EA) emaciated animals. Values represent mean ± S.E.D. for each life history category.

View larger version (13K): [in a new window]   Fig. 7. (A) Blubber thermal conductivity calculated using the standard material method plotted against blubber lipid content and (B) water content in T. truncatus.

View larger version (15K): [in a new window]   Fig. 8. The difference between the deep and superficial heat flux disc measurements plotted against the material thickness for T. truncatus blubber, foam and wood.

View larger version (20K): [in a new window]   Fig. 9. Blubber thickness, lipid content, thermal conductivity k and insulation values R for T. truncatus plotted against life history category. Life stages as in Fig. 6.

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