Data from: Rapid mobilization of abdominal fat in migrating eared grebes

Eared grebes Podiceps nigricollis, like shorebirds and other long-distance
migrants, lay down large amounts of fat to power their journeys. To
investigate the pattern of how fat and soft tissue might be mobilized, we
used grebes killed in migration and applied computed tomography to
reconstruct how stores in the chest, thorax, and abdomen were reduced as
body weight decreased. Fat and soft tissue were each mobilized at a
constant rate through the entire migration. Fat stores in birds embarking
on migration were greater in the abdomen than thorax than chest. In
contrast to previous studies indicating that abdominal fat was mobilized
first, we found that fat from all areas was mobilized concurrently, but
that abdominal fat was catabolized at a greater rate. We suggest why this
pattern might be advantageous, consider whether inter-depot differences in
fat composition might be involved, and note possible energetic
consequences. Whether our findings pertain to other obese or long distance
migrants remains to be determined.