Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Mar 1;33(2):127-137.
doi: 10.1152/physiol.00001.2018.

The Metabolic Flexibility of Hovering Vertebrate Nectarivores

Kenneth C Welch Jr  1   2   3 , Alexander M Myrka  1   2 , Raafay Syed Ali  1   2 , Morag F Dick  1   2
Affiliations
Free article
Review

The Metabolic Flexibility of Hovering Vertebrate Nectarivores

Kenneth C Welch Jr et al. Physiology (Bethesda). .
Free article

Abstract

Foraging hummingbirds and nectar bats oxidize both glucose and fructose from nectar at exceptionally high rates. Rapid sugar flux is made possible by adaptations to digestive, cardiovascular, and metabolic physiology affecting shared and distinct pathways for the processing of each sugar. Still, how these animals partition and regulate the metabolism of each sugar and whether this occurs differently between hummingbirds and bats remain unclear.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources